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– LA MONTE, Mo. (June 28) – The margin of error wasn’t that much. Maybe a few inches.
Tony Bruce Jr. flirted with that boundary last Friday at L A Raceway in La Monte, Mo., and it bit him early in the ASCS Warrior Region feature at the 3/8-mile, semi-banked dirt oval.
“I got a little bit greedy,” said Bruce Jr., who was driving for Clifford and Don Young. “The engine was good. The car was spot on. Just a driver error.”
On a restart in the opening handful of laps of the feature, the Liberal, Kan., native moved into third place in turns one and two. But his sights were set on second place and as he moved to the outside in turns three and four, he narrowly missed his mark and the consequence was sliding off the track.
“I just barely hung the right rear tire off the edge,” he said. “I started going off the banking and it just pulled me the rest of the way. I ended up spinning out.”
Bruce Jr. restarted in the back and worked his way into the top 10 by the end of the race. He settled for sixth place, although he was frustrated at the outcome.
“I felt like we had a car capable of winning,” he said. “I wanted to have a shot at Victory Lane.
“I’ve got to thank Clifford and Don Young for putting me in a great car. I think we’ll give it another shot later this year and hopefully I won’t screw up and we can put it in Victory Lane.”
Earlier in the night Bruce Jr. claimed his first heat race win of the season. After starting second, he launched into the top spot and held on to earn a spot in the redraw.
“For once we actually had a good starting spot for our heat race,” he joked.
Bruce Jr. pulled the No. 4 in the redraw, which is where he started in the main event.
He is set to race with the World of Outlaws on Friday and Saturday at Dodge City Raceway Park in Dodge City, Kan.
QUICK RESULTS –
June 24 – L A Raceway in La Monte, Mo. – Heat race: 1 (2); Feature: 6 (4).
SEASON STATS –
20 races, 17 features, 0 wins, 2 top fives, 7 top 10s, 12 top 15s, 17 top 20s
UP NEXT –
Friday and Saturday at Dodge City Raceway Park in Dodge City, Kan., with the World of Outlaws
FAVORITE NUMBER –
1: Heat race win this season, which came last Friday at L A Raceway in La Monte, Mo., with the ASCS Warrior Region.
SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS –
Website: www.tonybrucejr.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/tonybrucejr
ON THE AIR –
Bruce Jr. was a featured guest on the ASCS Show by Racinboys on May 24. Check out the link below for his interview, which starts at approximately 44:20 into the show.
http://www.meridix.com/mbp/general/index.php?liveid=Racinboys&recordid=19159
He was also on the April 26 edition. Click on the link below to listen to Bruce Jr.’s interview, which begins around the 52:25 mark.
http://www.meridix.com/mbp/general/index.php?liveid=Racinboys&recordid=18733
SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT – Smiley’s Racing Products
Established in 1968, Smiley’s Racing Products offers all parts necessary to operate a race team and is a Hoosier tire dealer. With locations in Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas, Smiley’s Racing Products is associated with various motor sports teams. For more information, visit www.smileysracing.com.
“We’ve been with Smiley’s Racing Products from Day 1,” Bruce Jr. said. “It has been a long-lasting relationship and there has always been mutual respect on everything. They are the longest partner that we’ve ever had. The first day we bought stuff for my race car we bought it at Smiley’s Racing Products and have been with them ever since.”
Bruce Jr. would like to thank his sponsors, including The Oil Medics, TBJ Promotions, Travelwizer.com, Ticketmob.com, LRB Manufacturing and Hoosier for their continued support.