Inside Line Promotions
– LAWTON, Okla. (June 2, 2013) – Not too shabby for a last-minute decision.
After his TBJ Promotions’ Hinchman Racewear Eagle Nationals event was postponed on Saturday because the track was flooded, Tony Bruce Jr. led all 25 laps during the ASCS Sooner Region event at Lawton Speedway to garner his second feature victory of the season.
“It’s good for moral for everybody,” he said. “We were able to transition our focus of running at Eagle down to Lawton. We have been actively looking at a makeup date for the Hinchman Racewear Eagle Nationals, but in the meantime it was great to pick up another win.”
Bruce Jr. won his heat race to earn a spot in the redraw, where a good-luck charm helped get him the pole for the main event.
“Fortunately my sister was there and every time I get in the redraw she pulls a one,” he said. “Any time you start on the front row you’ve just got to capitalize and take advantage.
“The first five or six laps we ran the bottom. I felt the car going away and moved to the top and just set sail. The top was really thin, too. It was a pretty tricky race track. Just the momentum on the top was way better.”
Bruce Jr. never relinquished the lead to earn his first career victory at Lawton Speedway, where Bruce Jr. will return with the Lucas Oil ASCS National Tour on June 19.
He opened the weekend on Friday at Salina Speedway in Salina, Kan., with the Lucas Oil ASCS National Tour. Unfortunately, a high draw and a narrow race track only allowed Bruce Jr. to advance from his fifth starting position to fourth place.
That put him ninth in points – one spot out of the redraw for the main event.
“We were decent in the heat race,” he said. “I just kinda got a bad start. Everybody was fighting for the bottom and I probably should have jumped to the top to see if I could pick off a few cars.”
Bruce Jr. tried that strategy early in the main event and lost several positions on the track that progressively slicked off throughout the night.
“At the beginning of the race we knew that it was going to be right around the bottom,” he said. “If we were going to jump up top and get a couple of spots it’d have to be early. Unfortunately, it backfired. Once the bottom finally slicked off I was able to pick off a few cars.
“We were set up for the end anyway. It just didn’t start coming on until the last five or six laps until we really started going good. It was a little too late.”
Bruce Jr. rallied to finish seventh and he is currently sixth in the Lucas Oil ASCS National Tour points – only 10 points out of fourth.
QUICK RESULTS –
May 31 – Salina Speedway in Salina, Kan. – Heat race: 4 (5); Feature: 7 (9).
June 1 – Lawton Speedway in Lawton, Okla. – Heat race: 1 (2); Feature: 1 (1).
SEASON STATS –
21 races, 2 wins, 8 top fives, 13 top 10s, 19 top 15s, 21 top 20s
UP NEXT –
TBD
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, Eagle Motorsports, Hinchman Racewear, 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.