From Inside Line Promotions
EAGLE, Neb. — (Sept. 13) — A driver error and a rare parts failure kept Tony Bruce Jr. from recording a pair of top fives last weekend.
It’s that simple for the Liberal, Kan., native, who was hindered in a pair of ASCS Midwest Region events in Nebraska.
“It was one of those things where we had a driver error in the heat race on Saturday,” he said. “That penalized us and put us toward the back of everything the rest of the night.
“On Sunday, we were charging through the field when the rear end broke with about eight to 10 laps remaining. I can’t even remember the last time we’ve had a rear end failure. It was one of those fluke deals.”
Although frustrated by the end results, Bruce Jr. is optimistic about the speed his car showed as well as the engine and setup packages the team has been working on this summer.
“We had a really fast race car so that was something to hold our head up about,” he said. “It’s real discouraging whenever you run bad and don’t have a fast race car.”
It began on Saturday at Junction Motor Speedway in McCool Junction, Neb., where Bruce Jr. started his heat race on the outside of the front row. On the first lap, he drove down to the bottom in turns three and four and hit a greasy spot, which spun his car around and brought out a caution.
“I had to go to the back and didn’t get passing points, which really hurt in the ASCS format,” Bruce Jr. said. “It was one of those things that sucked because it pretty much ruined our night.”
He finished sixth in the heat and had to start 10th in the B Main. After a couple of minor tweaks to the setup, Bruce Jr. rallied to place sixth in the consolation race to earn the final transfer to the 25-lap feature.
Bruce Jr. started the main event in last – 20th – and proceeded to pick off 10 cars, capitalizing on being able to work the bottom to record a 10th-place finish.
“I felt like we had a really fast car all night long,” he said. “The track was actually really hard to pass on and we were making a lot of passes look fairly easy. It’s a disappointment with how the night started.
“I was able to work the bottom a lot better than a lot of guys. I was able to go in there and stick the car on the burm of the infield and drive around people.”
Bruce Jr. was again on the move during the feature on Sunday at the Nebraska Cup, which was hosted by Eagle Raceway in Eagle, Neb.
After a fifth-place finish in his heat race and a runner-up result in a B Main, Bruce Jr. started the main event 17th. Lap by lap, he worked his way toward the front. Then, with less than 10 laps remaining and in contention for a top five, the rear end broke as he exited turn two.
Bruce Jr. spun around a couple of times down the backstretch and ultimately finished 17th.
“Our car was going really good,” he said. “I feel like we had a top-five finish, but just had a parts failure.
“Things like that never break when you’re running 15th. They always break when you’re on the move and charging forward.”
Bruce Jr. is scheduled to race for Clifford and Don Young on Friday at Beebe Speedway in Beebe, Ark., and Saturday at Malden Speedway in Malden, Mo. Both are USCS events.
QUICK RESULTS –
Sept. 10 – Junction Motor Speedway in McCool Junction, Neb. – Heat race: 6 (2); B Main: 6 (10); Feature: 10 (20).
Sept. 11 – Eagle Raceway in Eagle, Neb. – Heat race: 5 (5); B Main: 2 (5); Feature: 17 (17).
SEASON STATS –
43 races, 37 features, 1 win, 5 top fives, 16 top 10s, 25 top 15s, 34 top 20s
UP NEXT –
Friday at Beebe Speedway in Beebe, Ark., and Saturday at Malden Speedway in Malden, Mo., with the USCS
FAVORITE NUMBER –
10: Positions gained in the ASCS Midwest Region feature last Saturday at Junction Motor Speedway in McCool Junction, Neb.
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 – 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 www.theoilmedics.com.
“Bill and the entire Jewell family has 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 two years in diesel fuel.”
Bruce Jr. would like to thank his sponsors, including TBJ Promotions, Travelwizer.com, Ticketmob.com, LRB Manufacturing, Hoosier and Smiley’s Racing Products for their continued support.