John Wes Townley's NASCAR comeback is on hold after he was suspended by RAB Racing after being arrested for DUI early Friday morning in Georgia.
Townley crashed his car into a pole and was arrested after knocking on the door of a nearby residence.
In a statement Friday afternoon, RAB Racing with Brock Maggard owner Robby Benton said that Townley would be suspended indefinitely. Townley, 22, was set to drive in the Camping World Truck Series in 2012.
"Obviously, this is an unfortunate situation," Benton said in the release. "However, we have to react to the severity of the incident accordingly. His actions do not reflect those of RAB Racing, nor the sponsors associated with the team.
"John Wes has accepted full responsibility, and will take the necessary personal steps in order to correct his actions, among other internal sanctions," Benton continued. "We stand by John Wes, and will welcome him back to the team at the appropriate time."
After scoring a ride with Richard Childress Racing to start 2010, Townley parted ways with the team after five races, and came back and ran four more for RAB in the latter half of the season, before leaving the team. He didn't race in 2011.
Last year, Nationwide Series driver Michael Annett was arrested for DWI shortly before the season-opening race at Daytona and was not suspended by Rusty Wallace Incorporated, his team at the time. (Annett will drive for Richard Petty Motorsports in 2012).
Unfortunately, this isn't Townley's first incident involving alcohol. While with Childress in 2010, he was cited for underage possession of alcohol during the Las Vegas race weekend. At the time, Townley said that he learned a "valuable lesson" from the incident.
Bravo to Benton and the rest of RAB Racing for making the right decision in suspending Townley, one made more obvious by the fact that this is Townley's second alcohol-related offense in the past two years. And we hope that Townley can seek the appropriate help and treatment and eventually resume his racing career.
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