(Photo by Brandon Young Photography)
Inside Line Promotions – LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (July 10, 2016) – Tony Bruce Jr. scored a pair of top-five finishes last weekend while driving for Jeff Smith.
The duo kicked off the weekend on Thursday at Creek County Speedway in Sapulpa, Okla., where Bruce Jr. won a heat race from the pole. That locked him into the feature redraw, where he pulled the No. 6 to start the main event on the outside of the third row.
“The track was right around the bottom and we really couldn’t do much,” he said. “I went from sixth to third at the beginning of the race. We had a bunch of cautions. I got tired of riding around. I tried to make the top work on restarts and fell back a spot. It was one of those deals where it was 25 laps of riding in the infield.”
Bruce Jr. ended with a fourth-place result.
Friday’s ASCS Red River Region race at Outlaw Motor Speedway in Wainwright, Okla., rained out and the team ventured to I-30 Speedway on Saturday to wrap up the weekend.
“We struggled real bad in the heat race,” he said. “We were just not very good. This is the growing pains of a new team. We made some changes for the main event and felt like those were the right changes. We had a really solid car for the A Main.”
Bruce Jr., who finished where he started – fourth – in the heat race, lined up on the inside of the seventh row for the main event.
“At the beginning the track was pretty rough from a lot of the rain they had in the area,” he said. “I think the polesitter wrecked in front of the field on the start so we were able to move up without having to do anything. Once we got rolling we were able to slowly pick people off one by one. I would go in really high and come off the corners by the infield tires. I had a shot at the lead when we were in traffic. When the caution came out with about six laps to go I knew it’d be tough to pass Tim Crawley in open air.”
Bruce Jr. maneuvered from 13th to the runner-up result, which was his sixth top five this season.
He will take next weekend off before teaming back up with Smith to race on July 22 at U.S. 36 Speedway in Osborn, Mo., with the ASCS Warrior Region; July 23 at Knoxville Raceway in Knoxville, Iowa; and July 24 at Double X Speedway in California, Mo., with the ASCS Warrior Region.
QUICK RESULTS –
July 7 – Creek County Speedway in Sapulpa, Okla. – Heat race: 1 (1); Feature: 4 (6).
July 9 – I-30 Speedway in Little Rock, Ark. – Heat race: 4 (4); Feature: 2 (13).
SEASON STATS –
13 races, 1 win, 6 top fives, 9 top 10s, 11 top 15s, 11 top 20s
UP NEXT –
July 22 at U.S. 36 Speedway in Osborn, Mo., with the ASCS Warrior Region; July 23 at Knoxville Raceway in Knoxville, Iowa; and July 24 at Double X Speedway in California, Mo., with the ASCS Warrior Region
MEDIA LINKS –
Website: http://www.TonyBruceJr.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TonyBruceJr
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 Briley Trucking, Wheeler Metals, Lubbock Wrecker Service, 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 Jul 10, 2016
- Article Date: 7/10/2016 by Inside Line Promotions