John Wes Townley death – Ex-NASCAR driver and Zaxby’s founder’s son killed in Athens ‘domestic violence’ shooting at 31
EX-NASCAR driver and son of Zaxby's co-founder, John Wes Townley, died in a "domestic violence" shooting on Saturday.
The 31-year-old was reportedly shot dead in a double shooting that occurred in the Athens Five Points area in .
Townley and a 30-year-old female had been shot and were transported to a local hospital, Athens-Clarke County coroner Sonny Wilson confirmed to the .
Police responded to a in the 200 block of Morton Avenue in the Five Points neighborhood just before 9pm on Saturday.
Townley died of his injuries at the hospital and the woman's injuries are "serious," according to Athens-Clarke County police spokesman Shaun Barnett.
The suspect, a 32-year-old Dunwoody man, was known to the victim and currently there are no charges against him, Barnett said.
Police have had contact with the shooter.
According to preliminary information, the shooting appears related to domestic violence although an investigation is ongoing.
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Townley was one of the first young drivers in the late 2000s who advanced to the top levels of NASCAR powered by family funding.
His father is the co-founder of Zaxby’s restaurants and the chicken chain sponsored him through the entirety of his career.
That funding got Townley a full-season Xfinity Series ride at the age of 19 and he failed to finish seven of his 26 starts due to crashes.
That moment could have marked the end of a brief NASCAR tenure for Townley.
His best points finish in the Truck Series came in 2015 when he was eighth. He had eight top-10 finishes in 23 starts that season in addition to that win.
He moved on from driving in NASCAR after running in 18 Truck Series races and two Xfinity Series races in 2016.
Current NASCAR Cup Series driver Bubba Wallace, who raced against Townley, tweeted: "Damn. Rest Easy JWT. Heartbreaking."
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