(Photo by Joe Orth Photos)
Inside Line Promotions – WEST MEMPHIS, Ark. (May 4, 2014) – Although it didn’t go as planned inside his sprint car, Tony Bruce Jr. had a successful weekend.
Bruce Jr. wrapped up the Lucas Oil ASCS National Tour weekend doubleheader on Saturday at Riverside International Speedway for the Eagle Motorsports Rock ‘N Roll 50 Presented by MyRacePass, which was his first TBJ Promotions event of the year.
“The track was spot on and the racing was awesome,” he said. “I had people coming up to hug me after the races.”
While the event was a huge success from a promoter standpoint, Bruce Jr.’s race car was off.
“It was hard on us,” he said. “We just could not get into the race track at all. The car was really, really loose all night long. We never really got the car where we liked it at all.”
After finishing seventh in his heat race and 13th in the B Main, Bruce Jr. used his first Lucas Oil ASCS National Tour provisional to start last in the 50-lap feature.
“I just had no forward drive,” he said. “If you don’t have forward drive, it makes it really tough to be fast and pass race cars. About halfway through the A Main it got a little better.”
Bruce Jr. rallied from 23rd toward the top 10 on the quarter-mile track before engine trouble ended his night with a handful of laps remaining. He was credited with a 17th-place result.
The weekend opened on Friday at Outlaw Motorsports Park in Wainwright, Okla.
“It was one of those deals where we needed to capitalize on our heat race,” he said. “Unfortunately we had something wrong with our motor. We limped through and were able to finish.”
After starting on the outside of the second row, Bruce Jr. advanced to second place before hanging on to a third-place finish in his heat as mechanical issues surfaced. That earned him enough points to make the main event, which he started on the outside of the seventh row after the team changed the engine.
“I had a pretty good car,” he said. “The only problem was we didn’t have a caution. It was a really short race and it went by so fast.”
Bruce Jr. maneuvered from 14th to an eighth-place result, which marked his seventh top 10 of the season.
He is tied for sixth in the Lucas Oil ASCS National Tour championship standings heading into Thursday’s McCarthy Auto Group KC Klassic at Lakeside Speedway in Kansas City, Kan. It is also a TBJ Promotions event.
QUICK RESULTS –
May 2 – Outlaw Motorsports Park in Wainwright, Okla. – Heat race: 3 (4); Feature: 8 (14).
May 3 – Riverside International Speedway in West Memphis, Ark. – Heat race: 7 (5); B Main: 13 (11); Feature: 17 (23).
SEASON STATS –
14 races, 1 win, 2 top fives, 7 top 10s, 8 top 15s, 12 top 20s
UP NEXT –
Thursday at Lakeside Speedway in Kansas City, Kan., for the McCarthy Auto Group KC Klassic with the Lucas Oil ASCS National Tour
LIVE COVERAGE –
To keep up to speed with Bruce Jr. at every Lucas Oil ASCS National Tour event, visit http://www.RacinBoys.com for free, live audio. Additionally, RacinBoys will provide live Pay-Per-View video at select races.
MEDIA LINKS –
Website: http://www.TonyBruceJr.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TonyBruceJr
VIDEO –
Click on the link for a video by Thriller Productions that highlights Bruce Jr.’s Lucas Oil ASCS National Tour triumph at Devil’s Bowl Speedway on March 21: http://vimeo.com/89899519
SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT – Hinchman Racewear
With more than 80 years in the industry, Hinchman Racewear prides itself on safety, experience, innovation, quality and customer service. For more information on how Hinchman Racewear can protect you, visit http://www.HinchmanRacewear.com.
“When looking for safety and innovation, look no further than Hinchman Racewear,” Bruce Jr. said. “With great customer service and a passion for keeping drivers protected, it’s no wonder why they are the leaders in the custom suit industry. I choose Hinchman to keep me safe and I encourage all drivers to do the same.”
Bruce Jr. would also like to thank Lubbock Wrecker Service, Briley Trucking, Wheeler Metals, The Oil Medics, Eagle Motorsports, Smiley’s Racing Products, SWE, Maxwell Industries, Moss Racing Engines, FK Rod Ends, ButlerBuilt Professional Seat Systems, Factory Kahne Shocks, DriverWebsites.com, RacinBoys.com, Wilwood, Schoenfeld Headers, Hoosier Racing 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 and media management for motor sports drivers, teams, sponsors, tracks, series, events, organizations and manufacturers. ILP Founder Shawn Miller leverages professional journalism with new media technologies and social networking to improve your exposure and the return on investment for your sponsors.
To meet the media relations needs of your program and to join Team ILP, contact Shawn at 541-510-3663 or InsideLinePromotions@gmail.com. For more information on Inside Line Promotions, visit http://www.InsideLinePromotions.com.
- Shawn Miller on May 04, 2014
- Article Date: 5/4/2014 by Inside Line Promotions