(Photo by Mike Howard Photos)
Inside Line Promotions – MESQUITE, Texas (Oct. 19, 2014) – Tony Bruce Jr. continued his success at Devil’s Bowl Speedway last weekend when he captured his fourth victory of the season.
Bruce Jr. led the final four laps on Friday night to secure the Lucas Oil ASCS National Tour triumph during the opening night of the 41st annual Winter Nationals.
“All in all it was a great night for us,” he said. “We had great speed in the car. We had a lot of luck on our side. Any more in sprint car racing if you don’t have a little bit of luck throughout a night you might not win.”
Bruce Jr. opened the night by maneuvering from fourth to second place in his heat race. That earned him a spot in the feature redraw, where he pulled the No. 5 in the random draw to line up on the inside of the third row for the 25-lap feature.
However, a driver in front of him was unable to start the main event, which moved Bruce Jr. up one row prior to the green flag.
“We got to second a couple of laps into it,” he said. “We were right there on Jason (Johnson) pretty much the entire race. The only problem was the race track was one lane around the top. I was content with taking a second and getting locked into Saturday’s feature, but I didn’t have to do that and we were able to steal a win.”
Bruce Jr. inherited the lead with four laps remaining when Johnson’s sprint car had mechanical troubles. Bruce Jr. then maintained the top spot for the closing laps to notch his third Lucas Oil ASCS National Tour win of the season and his third career victory with the series at Devil’s Bowl Speedway.
“Unfortunately for Jason he had some issues and we were there to capitalize,” he said. “You never want to win a race because of somebody’s misfortune, but the name of the game is to put yourself in position to win. We did and we came out with the victory.”
That also locked Bruce Jr. into Saturday’s feature redraw. However, after pulling the highest number – eight – in the random draw, Bruce Jr. lined up on the outside of the fourth row for the 30-lap main event.
“Unfortunately that was the worst time to draw a bad number,” he said. “The race track was weird all night. It was really hard to pass, but it never went away. I had a decent start and was able to get to fifth. I rode around in fifth most of the race. I got a little tight on one of the late-race restarts and washed up the track.”
That cost Bruce Jr. a position and he finished sixth, which marked his 33rd top 10 of the season.
He also competed in the RaceSaver 305ci class for Kurt Summers. Bruce Jr. advanced from sixth to fourth place in his heat race, won the B Main and rallied from 18th to 12th in the main event.
Bruce Jr. will return to Lucas Oil ASCS National Tour competition this Wednesday through Saturday at I-30 Speedway in Little Rock, Ark., for the 27th annual COMP Cams Short Track Nationals Presented by Hoosier Tires. He won the title in 2008 and 2009.
“I haven’t had that much success at the Short Track Nationals the last couple of years,” he said. “The first two years I won it nobody had me on their radar. I think a lot of people assume that right now. We’re flying under the radar and that’s the way I like it. I know how fast our cars have been all year. I know how fast we can be at I-30 Speedway.”
QUICK RESULTS –
Oct. 17 – Devil’s Bowl Speedway in Mesquite, Texas – Heat race: 2 (4); Feature: 1 (5).
Oct. 18 – Devil’s Bowl Speedway in Mesquite, Texas – Feature: 6 (8).
Oct. 18 – Devil’s Bowl Speedway in Mesquite, Texas (305 class) – Heat race: 4 (6); B Main: 1 (1); Feature: 12 (18).
SEASON STATS –
58 races, 4 wins, 16 top fives, 33 top 10s, 41 top 15s, 54 top 20s
UP NEXT –
Wednesday through Saturday at I-30 Speedway in Little Rock, Ark., for the 27th annual COMP Cams Short Track Nationals Presented by Hoosier Tires 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 –
Here is a link of Bruce Jr. at the Front Row Challenge and 360 Knoxville Nationals in August thanks to FinishLine Studios: http://youtu.be/380-i0vVgG8
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, Wheeler Metals, Briley Trucking, 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 Oct 19, 2014
- Article Date: 10/19/2014 by Inside Line Promotions