NASCAR Veteran Killed Attacking Ex-Wife With Hatchet: Police

Atlanta GA

05 October, 2021

7:44 AM

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ATHENS, GA — A former NASCAR driver was shot and killed Saturday when he attacked his ex-wife and another man with a hatchet, police said. John Wes Townley had just finalized his divorce with his wife Laura Townley last week when the incident occurred, according to Athens-Clarke County Police reports. Around 8:50 p.m. Saturday, police were called to a home in the 200 block of Morton Avenue in Athens, according to the incident report obtained by Patch. Police said John Wes Townley arrived at the address earlier and at some point went after his ex-wife and Zachary Anderson, the man at the home with her, with the hatchet. Anderson shot the 31-year-old Townley in the chest, police said. But a stray shot also struck and injured Laura Townley, according to police reports. Both Townleys were taken to an area hospital where the former race car driver died, police said. John Wes Townley was a NASCAR driver from 2008 to 2016, according to CBS Sports. He drove both the No. 25 car in NASCAR's Xfinity series and the No. 5 truck in the Camping World Truck series sponsored by Athens-based restaurant chain Zaxby's. Zaxby's founder and CEO Zachary McLeroy on Monday responded to the deadly incident. "My wife Carol Ann and I are brokenhearted by the tragedy involving the Townley family," McLeroy said in a statement. "We are praying for all of those impacted by these events and hope you'll respect the privacy of each of the families involved." No details were available about whether there are any charges pending. An investigation is ongoing.