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John Wes Townley missing Kentucky truck race for ‘possible concussion’

NASCAR XFINITY Series PowerShares QQQ 300 - Qualifying

DAYTONA BEACH, FL - FEBRUARY 20: John Wes Townley, driver of the #05 Chevrolet, stands on the grid during qualifying for the NASCAR XFINITY Series PowerShares QQQ 300 at Daytona International Speedway on February 20, 2016 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

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Athenian Motorsports has announced that John Wes Townley will miss this weekend’s Camping World Truck Series and ARCA Series races because of treatment for a “possible concussion.”

Townley, who is currently 18th in the Truck point standings, will be replaced in the No. 05 Chevrolet by Parker Kligerman, who also is a NASCAR on NBC analyst. The announcement came about an hour before the first scheduled truck practice at Kentucky Speedway.

Kligerman competed in the first eight truck races this season for Ricky Benton Racing before the team missed the most recent race at Gateway Motorsports Park. Kligerman is 17th in the standings after missing Gateway.

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Athenian Motorsports confirmed it will seek a waiver for Townley to be eligible to qualify for the truck series’ Chase playoff despite skipping a start.

If Townley has a concussion, a NASCAR official told NBC Sports the sanctioning body would need to receive a written clearance from a board-certified neurosurgeon or neurologist before the driver could return.

Townley hasn’t raced since the Gateway event, where he was involved in two wrecks with the No. 23 of Spencer Gallagher. After the second accident with five laps remaining, Townley and Gallagher engaged in a fight, which earned them fines.

NASCAR confirmed Townley was treated and released in the track’s care center after the second crash at Gateway. He wasn’t seen at the care center after the first wreck because his truck was able to return to the pits without assistance (drivers must make a mandatory care center visit if they aren’t able to drive away from an incident ).

This will be the first truck race Townley has missed since 2014.

Cole Custer will substitute for Townley in Saturday night’s ARCA 150 at Iowa Speedway.

Follow @DanielMcFadin