(Photo by Brandon Young Photography)
Inside Line Promotions – WEST MEMPHIS, Ark. (May 3, 2015) – Tony Bruce Jr. had a dramatic rebound last Saturday at Riverside International Speedway during the Eagle Motorsports Rock ‘N Roll 50 Presented by MyRacePass.
Bruce Jr., who promoted the Lucas Oil ASCS National Tour event under his TBJ Promotions banner, started the evening on a sour note at the quarter-mile track.
“In the heat race we just weren’t that good,” he said. “It’s been something we’ve been struggling with the last two years. Small tracks are something I’ve always excelled at, but the last couple of years we’ve really been off.”
Bruce Jr. was relegated to a B Main following his sixth-place finish in a heat race.
“We made a lot of changes for the B Main that helped quite a bit, but we still weren’t where we needed to be,” he said.
The One 8 Motorsports team took a big swing at the setup prior to the consolation race, which Bruce Jr. placed third in to secure a transfer into the back of the 50-lap main event.
“For the feature we basically went even further with some of the changes that we made,” he said. “From where we started to where we ended as far as setup was way different.”
The adjustments showed instant results as Bruce Jr. began to work his way toward the front from his 21st starting position as soon as the green flag was waved.
“We were good right at the beginning,” he said. “We picked off some cars at the start and steadily worked our way through the field. Fifty laps is a long time for things to happen. I kept the nose clean and made sure we were there at the end. That strategy paid off really well.”
Bruce Jr. maneuvered into fifth place prior to a caution with 10 laps remaining. Unfortunately, he lost two positions in the closing laps.
“At the end I didn’t get aggressive enough,” he said. “I didn’t do my part behind the wall. I needed to make better decisions. But after the heat race if someone had told me we’d have a chance for a top five I would have been ecstatic and really almost not believe we’d have that opportunity. It was definitely a step in the right direction. We learned some things we need to learn on for our short track program.”
His seventh-place result earned him the Hard Charger Award.
Bruce Jr. is scheduled to compete in a pair of Lucas Oil ASCS National Tour events this weekend. He will race on Thursday at Lakeside Speedway in Kansas City, Kan., for the McCarthy Auto Group KC Klassic – another TBJ Promotions event – and on Saturday at I-30 Speedway in Little Rock, Ark.
“I’m really looking forward to next weekend,” he said. “I’ve never even raced at Lakeside. I’m looking forward to getting back to a big race track and making sure we have that squared away, then get right back to the short track to apply some knowledge we learned this weekend.”
QUICK RESULTS –
May 2 – Riverside International Speedway in West Memphis, Ark. – Heat race: 6 (7); B Main: 3 (5); Feature: 7 (21).
SEASON STATS –
14 races, 0 wins, 2 top fives, 6 top 10s, 8 top 15s, 11 top 20s
UP NEXT –
Thursday at Lakeside Speedway in Kansas City, Kan., for the McCarthy Auto Group KC Klassic and Saturday at I-30 Speedway in Little Rock, Ark., with the Lucas Oil ASCS National Tour
MEDIA LINKS –
Website: http://www.TonyBruceJr.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TonyBruceJr
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.
SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT – The Oil Medics
Located in Fort Worth, Texas, The Oil Medics services diesel trucks and distributes racing oil for sprint car engines and rear ends. For more information, visit http://www.TheOilMedics.com.
“Bill and the entire Jewell family have been more than just a great sponsor, but also great friends,” Bruce Jr. said. “They specialize in truck maintenance and fuel economy, which has saved us hundreds of dollars the past few years in diesel fuel.”
Bruce Jr. would also like to thank Lubbock Wrecker Service, Briley Trucking, Wheeler Metals, Hinchman Racewear, 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 by joining Team ILP, contact Shawn at 541-510-3663 or Shawn@InsideLinePromotions.com. For more information on Inside Line Promotions, visit http://www.InsideLinePromotions.com.
- Shawn Miller on May 03, 2015
- Article Date: 5/3/2015 by Inside Line Promotions