Inside Line Promotions – JETMORE, Kan. (May 26, 2013) – Tony Bruce Jr.’s busiest weekend was arguably his most productive of the season.
In a trio of Lucas Oil ASCS National Tour events across three states, Bruce Jr. earned a pair of heat race wins and two top fives to advance to fourth in the championship standings.
“We really haven’t got to race a lot this year,” he said. “A lot of guys are more up to speed than we are.”
That didn’t show on Wednesday at Valley Speedway in Grain Valley, Mo., where Bruce Jr. led all eight laps to claim the heat race. He advanced to the redraw and pulled the No. 3, which is the position he started the feature.
Bruce Jr. battled for a podium result for the entire 30-lap main event before settling for fourth place – his sixth top five of the season.
“It was a solid finish,” he said. “It was the first night in a brand new Eagle Motorsports car. I actually felt like we were just as fast as the leaders, we just never had the opportunity to go up there and capitalize.”
The team hauled to Greenwood, Neb., for a Thursday event at I-80 Speedway, where Bruce Jr. drew the No. 64 – the fifth-highest number. It started him eighth in a challenging heat race, which Bruce Jr. finished sixth to be relegated to the B Main.
After finishing second in the consolation race, Bruce Jr. spent most of the feature competing for a position in the top 15 before an overheating issue forced him to pull off the track during the final lap.
“We drew bad in the heat race and that pretty much set the tone for the entire night,” he said after finishing 19th. “We just missed the setup the entire night. You have nights like that when you don’t get the job done and it’s part of the game.”
Bruce Jr. wrapped up the weekend on Saturday at The Great American Dirt Track for the TBJ Promotions Steve King Memorial, where he led all eight laps to garner his second heat race win of the week. Once again, Bruce Jr. pulled the No. 3 in the redraw.
After the initial start was red flagged, Bruce Jr. powered into the lead on the opening lap of the 30-lap feature. He maintained the top spot amidst thick traffic for the first 17 laps before Jack Dover took over the top spot as Bruce Jr. struggled to exit turn two.
“It’s definitely a race that I wanted to win really bad,” he said. “We had a really good car at the beginning of the race. I would say we peaked too early. Our car was really good the first five laps. I was getting beat out of turn two on every lap and that’s what cost us a win.
“I couldn’t get any grip coming out of (turn) two. I tried everything. I tried changing up my line several times. It seemed like any time I needed to get back to the gas I couldn’t get that grip to get down the back straightaway.”
Bruce Jr. dropped the runner-up position in the closing laps before finishing third, which was his second podium result of the season.
He will continue action with the Lucas Oil ASCS National Tour on Friday at Salina Speedway in Salina, Kan., and Saturday at the TBJ Promotions Hinchman Racewear Eagle Nationals at Eagle Raceway in Eagle, Neb.
QUICK RESULTS –
May 22 – Valley Speedway in Grain Valley, Mo. – Heat race: 1 (2); Feature: 4 (3).
May 23 – I-80 Speedway in Greenwood, Neb. – Heat Race: 6 (8); B Main: 2 (3); Feature: 19 (18).
May 25 – The Great American Dirt Track in Jetmore, Kan. – Heat Race: 1 (1); Feature: 3 (3).
SEASON STATS –
19 races, 1 win, 7 top fives, 11 top 10s, 17 top 15s, 19 top 20s
UP NEXT –
Friday at Salina Speedway in Salina, Kan., and Saturday at Eagle Raceway in Eagle, Neb., for the Hinchman Racewear Eagle Nationals with the Lucas Oil ASCS National Tour
SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS –
Website: http://www.tonybrucejr.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/tonybrucejr
VIDEO –
Here is a link for RacinBoys’ footage of Bruce Jr.’s victory at Boyd Raceway on April 26: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Wx3nrOFTDyg
SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT – Lubbock Wrecker Service
With locations in Lubbock and Synder, Texas, Lubbock Wrecker Service has more than 50 years of combined experience providing heavy duty, medium duty and light vehicle towing. For more information, visit LubbockWrecker.com.
“It’s an honor to be associated with Scott Brown and Lubbock Wrecker Service,” Bruce Jr. said. “They have been involved with racing for a long time and we are fortunate to have them join our team for the 2013 season.”
Bruce Jr. would also like to thank The Oil Medics, Wheeler Metals, Eagle Motorsports, Hinchman Racewear, Smiley’s Racing Products, SWE, Maxwell Industries, FK Rod Ends, ButlerBuilt Professional Seat Systems, Factory Kahne Shocks, DriverWebsites.com, RacinBoys.com, Wilwood, Schoenfield Headers, Hoosier Tires, HRP, Kaeding Performance, Schaeffer Oil, Fuel Safe, Bell Helmets, Four Seasons Radiator, Southern Trailer Works, KSE, Brown and Miller Racing Solutions, Weld Wheels, ISC Racers Tape and Pressure Tek for their continued support.
INSIDE LINE PROMOTIONS –
Inside Line Promotions specializes in affordable public relations, media management and merchandising services for sprint car teams. ILP Founder Shawn Miller leverages professional journalism with new media technologies and social networking to improve your exposure and your sponsors’ return on investment.
To meet the media relations needs of your team, contact Shawn at 541-510-3663 or sprintcarreporter@yahoo.com. For more information on Inside Line Promotions, visit www.insidelinepromotions.com.
- Tony Bruce on May 27, 2013
- Article Date: 5/27/2013 by Inside Line Promotions