PETERSEN MEDIA
Taking on a stout field at the 81 Speedway in Wichita, KS for the NCRA opener, Tony Bruce, Jr had rear end troubles in the feature event that ultimately cost him a top finish.
“There was a tough field of cars, and we were fast, and it is just one of those issues that will drive you nuts,” he said.
Starting eighth in his heat, TBJ got up on the wheel and made some bold moves aboard his Hinchman/Eagle Motorsports/Oil Medics No.18 machine and scored a third place finish to put him in the pill draw for the feature event.
Starting fifth in the feature event, Bruce began pressuring Seth Bergman for the fourth spot.
As he got up to make a pass, Bruce’s car began jumping in and out of gear, and he lost several spots, until he finally came to a complete stop on the race track.
He took his Smiley’s/SWE/Maxwell Industries machine into the work area, where his Wayne Priddy led crew locked his rear end in gear, and he made his way to back of the pack for the upcoming restart.
Starting in the back, Bruce went to work on the sticky track, as he carved his way through traffic towards the top ten.
Simply putting his mount where the others were not, Bruce salvaged his night by scoring a 12th place finish.
“We had a great car, and it was definitely better than a 12th place finish,” he said. “A little bad luck is part of the sport, and we will be back, hopefully contending for a win again in the coming weks.”
Bruce would like to thank Lubbock Wrecker Service, Wheeler Metals, Hinchman Racewear, Eagle Motorsports, The Oil Medics, Smileys, SWE, Maxwell Industries, FK Rod Ends, Butlerbuilt, Factory Kahne Shocks, DriversWebsites.com, Racinboys.com, Wilwood, Schoenfield Headers, Hoosier Tires, HRP, Kaeding Performance, Schaefer Oil, Fuel Safe, Bell helmets, Four Seasons Radiator, Southern Trailer Works, KSE, Brown and Miller Racing Solutions, Weld Wheels, and ISC Racer’s Tape for their support.
2013 BY THE NUMBERS- Races-6, Wins-0, Top 5’s-1, Top 10’s-2
ON TAP: Bruce and his team will be back in action on Friday night at the Golden Triangle Raceway Park in Beaumont, TX before heading to I30 Speedway in Little Rock, AR on Saturday night.
STAY CONNECTED: Stay updated with TBJ by visiting his website at
www.tonybrucejr.com, or by following him on twitter @tonybrucejr.
SPONSOR SHOUT OUT: SMILEY’S
Located in Dallas, TX, Smiley’s Race Products is a full service speed shop to handle any of your parts needs. With a full staff who has racing background, Smiley’s is an industry leader in race products, and are proud to team with Tony Bruce, Jr.
“With their location being in Dallas we are able to visit the store many times throughout the year,” said TBJ. “Tom and his staff take care of all of our needs. From tires, fuel, or any part you can find in racing smileys race products has it.”