Inside Line Promotions
– ABILENE, Texas (April 28, 2013) – After making the tough decision to postpone his first TBJ Promotions event of the season because of rain, Tony Bruce Jr. then had the difficult task of finding a dry place to race.
After a quick search, he found the Smiley’s Racing Products Lone Star Region doubleheader in Texas. With a positive weather forecast, Bruce Jr. headed to the Lone Star State for the second straight weekend as the 5th annual Eagle Motorsports Rock ‘N Roll 50 was postponed one week until this Saturday at Riverside International Speedway in West Memphis, Ark.
First up, a trip to Boyd Raceway in Boyd, where Bruce Jr. led all 25 feature laps in his first appearance at the quarter-mile track to garner his first victory of the season on Friday. It came at a great time for Bruce Jr., who was searching for his first feature podium of the season.
“We didn’t want to rain the Eagle Motorsports Rock ‘N Roll 50 out, but it was inevitable,” he said. “We were lucky enough to find a race to race at and fortunate enough to pick up a win.
“You always want to get that first one just to get it going. It’s pretty nice having our first win with our Eagle Motorsports car and our first win with Roush Yates Racing Engines. It was also nice because most of the sponsors were there. It was the best time in the world to win a race.”
After driving from fourth to third in his heat race, Bruce Jr. was the eighth – and final – driver in the redraw. When the other seven drivers had their starting position randomly picked and one number remained, the No. 2 was plucked to garner a spot on the front row for Bruce Jr.
Using the high groove on the start – and for much of the race – Bruce Jr. powered around polesitter Claud Estes III for the lead exiting turn two on the opening lap. Despite a couple of cautions bunching up the field, Bruce Jr. maintained the lead and his momentum around the top of the track en route to the dominant victory.
“We were real good through lapped traffic,” he said. “If I wanted to go to the bottom, I’d go to the bottom. If I wanted to go to the top, I’d go to the top.”
The weekend concluded with a two and a half hour drive west to Abilene Speedway, where Bruce Jr. once again drove from fourth to third in his heat race on Saturday. This time, however, it didn’t earn him enough points to make it into the redraw.
He started the main event 10th on the quarter-mile oval, which favored the bottom groove all night.
“The only way you could pass is if somebody messed up in front of you,” Bruce Jr. said. “We got by some cars at the beginning of the race. By the halfway point everybody had tried something and realized you couldn’t do anything but be right around the bottom. I just kind of had to settle for fifth.”
Bruce Jr. earned his second straight top five and put together his first weekend of consecutive top fives since the season opener.
Next up is the second attempt at the 5th annual Eagle Motorsports Rock ‘N Roll 50 this Saturday at Riverside International Speedway with the Lucas Oil ASCS National Tour.
QUICK RESULTS –
April 26 – Boyd Raceway in Boyd, Texas – Heat race: 3 (4); Feature: 1 (2).
April 27 – Abilene Speedway in Abilene, Texas – Heat race: 3 (4); Feature: 5 (10).
SEASON STATS –
12 races, 1 win, 3 top fives, 5 top 10s, 11 top 15s, 12 top 20s
UP NEXT –
Saturday at Riverside International Speedway in West Memphis, Ark., for the 5th annual Eagle Motorsports Rock ‘N Roll 50 with the Lucas Oil ASCS National Tour
SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS –
Website: http://www.tonybrucejr.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/
VIDEO –
Here is a link for RacinBoys’ footage of Bruce Jr.’s victory at Boyd Raceway on April 26: http://www.youtube.com/watch?
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 couple of years in diesel fuel.”
Bruce Jr. would also like to thank Lubbock Wrecker Service, Wheeler Metals, Hinchman Racewear, Eagle Motorsports, Smiley’s Racing Products, SWE, Maxwell Industries, FK Rod Ends, ButlerBuilt Professional Seat Systems, Factory Kahne Shocks, DriverWebsites.com, RacinBoys.com, Wilwood, Schoenfield Headers, Hoosier 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.