Auto Club Speedway’s abrasive and bumpy racing surface proved to be a handful for John Wes Townley during Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race on the 2-mile oval in Fontana, Calif.
After qualifying 20th, Townley’s goal was to bring the Zaxby’s Chevrolet home with a top 15 finish in a field loaded with Sprint Cup drivers and teams affiliated with Sprint Cup organizations.
When the day concluded, the Watkinsville, Ga. native found himself in 23rd and two laps off the blistering pace set by race winner Kevin Harvick.
“This has become a very difficult race track,” said Townley, who like most of the drivers in the field wound up pancaking the right side of his race car late in the day. “There’s not much grip and the bumps are unbelievable.
“To go fast, you have to try different lines. And you are literally right up against the wall trying to go fast.”
With the three-race West Coast swing now history, Townley will turn his attention this week to the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series as the Xfinity circuit goes on a two week break.
Townley will climb behind the wheel of the No. 05 Chevrolet Silverado on Friday at Martinsville Speedway in Virginia, a race track that he used to dislike but now counts as one of his favorites.
“I’ve figured out something there over the last two years and I actually enjoy racing at Martinsville now,” said Townley, who was running fourth on the white flag lap of last year’s spring race at the .526-mile, paperclip-shaped oval before he was wrecked by German Quiroga on the backstretch while racing to the checkered flag.
Townley will debut a new chassis this week prepared by crew chief Michael Shelton and the Athenian Motorsports NCWTS team.
John Wes Townley PR
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