ATHENS, Ga. – John Wes Townley, a former NASCAR driver who earned victories in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and ARCA Menards Series, was shot and killed Saturday night in Georgia.
He was 31 years old.
According to a report from the Athens Banner-Herald, Athens-Clarke County police responded to the report of a shooting in the 200 block of Morton Avenue in Athens, Ga., around 9 p.m. Saturday night. Townley and an unidentified 30-year-old female had been shot and were taken to a local hospital. Townley died of his injuries at the hospital according to Athens-Clarke County Police Department spokesperson Lt. Shaun Barnett.
Police have reportedly identified a 32-year-old Dunwoody man as the suspect in the shooting, but at this time there are no charges against him. The investigation is ongoing and appears related to domestic violence according to Barnett.
Townley, the son of Zaxby’s co-founder Tony Townley, made 186 starts in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series during a career that spanned from 2008 to ’16. He won his lone NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Las Vegas (Nev.) Motor Speedway on Oct. 3, 2015.
In addition to his one Truck Series win, Townley also earned a pair of ARCA Menards Series victories at Daytona Int’l Speedway in 2013 and ’16.