John Wes Townley is looking to rekindle a little Daytona Beach magic this weekend.
In February 2013, the Georgia native rolled into Daytona International Speedway and proceeded to dominate the spotlight during ARCA’s 50th visit to the World Center of Racing.
Townley sped to the pole, ran in the lead pack all afternoon, zipped past leader Bobby Gerhart with seven laps remaining, then fended off a late challenge from Kyle Larson to claim victory at one of the most hallowed racing facilities on the planet.
Three years later, the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series veteran is set to return to ARCA action on Saturday in the No. 05 Zaxby’s Chevrolet at Daytona. And like 2013, he’ll be accompanied by Kevin Reed, one of the top crew chiefs in the ARCA garage.
“Kevin was my crew chief when we won the ARCA race at Daytona,” Townley said. “In fact, looking back over the years when I have worked with Kevin, there were several other races that we were in position to win. But circumstances didn’t work out.
“There just seems to be good chemistry between me and Kevin. I’ve got a good feeling about Kevin being my crew chief, not only this weekend at Daytona, but during the remainder of the ARCA season.”
Reed isn’t the only person familiar with Townley. Veteran spotter and former NASCAR Truck Series driver Terry Cook returns to serve as spotter for the 26-year-old driver. And Townley will be surrounded by several key personnel that have worked with him at Athenian Motorsports during the past two years.
“I’m excited to have Terry Cook back as my spotter this season in ARCA and in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series,” Townley said. “And we’ll have lots of veteran leadership on our ARCA team from guys I’m familiar with that will be turning wrenches and dialing in the car.”
Saturday’s Lucas Oil 200 driven by General Tire will air live at 4 p.m. eastern on Fox Sports 1.
Following this weekend’s ARCA season opener, Townley will pull double-duty next week at the 2.5-mile speedway. He’ll compete in next weekend’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and Xfinity Series races at Daytona.
“A lot of folks dislike racing at Daytona and Talladega because of the close-quarters, pack-style racing,” Townley said. “But I love this type of racing.
“I can’t wait to get started. I’m confident that we’re going to be competitive in all three races at Daytona and am hopeful that we have a shot to bring one or two trophies back home with us to Georgia.”
Athenian Motorsports PR
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