Athenian Motorsports Race Review/John Wes Townley Watkins Glen Preview

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In: Xfinity Series News

With a pair of top 10 finishes well within its grasp, Athenian Motorsports instead wound up with two17th-place efforts in NASCAR action in different regions of the country on Saturday.

The afternoon looked to be promising for the Concord, N.C.-based team in its first full year of operation when John Wes Townley lined up third in a two lap dash to the finish during Saturday’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series 150 mile event in Pocono, Pa.

But when Austin Dillon, who started on the inside of the front row on the restart, failed to fire at the drop of the green flag, it created a backup on the inside line that left Townley’s No. 05 Zaxby’s Chevrolet shuffled outside of the top 10. Seconds later, he wound up tangling with Mason Mingus while coming to the white flag.

Townley went from a potential, NASCAR career-best third place finish to a 17th-place run that left him sixth in the Camping World Truck Series driver points.

More than 1,000 miles to the west, Dylan Lupton was facing the daunting task of overcoming a 26th-place starting position in 250 laps of racing for the NASCAR Xfinity Series on Saturday night at Iowa Speedway.

As the first third of the event went green, Lupton wound up falling down a lap to race leader Ryan Blaney.

Lupton, whose lap times mirrored the race leaders once the track cooled at night, was in the “lucky dog” position until contact with Dakoda Armstrong sent the No. 25 Zaxby’s Chevrolet into a spin. Although there was no damage, Lupton wound up losing a second laps as he re-fired the car on the .875-mile oval.

During the series of green-white-checkered flag finishes at the end of the night, Lupton wound up getting back on the lead lap. But he ran out of time to make a charge toward the front and was forced to settle for a 17th-place finish.

With the Truck Series idle this week, Townley will jump behind the wheel of the No. 25 Zaxby’s Chevrolet for Saturday’s Xfinity Series race in Watkins Glen, N.Y.

“I’ve never raced there but I have been to Watkins Glen as a spectator,” Townley said. “I know (crew chief) Mike Ford and the Athenian team will bring us a good race car.

“I don’t have a lot of experience on road courses, but I’m looking forward to the challenge on Saturday.”

Athenian Motorsports PR

Speedway Digest Staff
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