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Inside Line Promotions – VIVIAN, La. (June 17, 2013) – Last weekend could have been really, really ugly.

Instead, Tony Bruce Jr. salvaged the first half of the Lucas Oil ASCS National Tour Sizzlin’ Summer Speedweek by gaining 29 positions in the features to end with a pair of top fives and a 12th-place finish in a trio of events.

“We got plagued by the draw,” he said. “We pretty much started in the back of everything we were in.”

Bruce Jr. started sixth and finished fifth in his heat race to open Speedweek at Kennedale Speedway Park in Kennedale, Texas, on Friday. That forced him to start eighth in a B Main, which transferred the top three to the back of the main event. Bruce Jr. rallied to finish fifth, but had to utilize his first provisional of the season to tag the feature.

“We got the car better, but at the same time the track widened out and came around,” he said. “We had a really good car. We were good; we were just stuck in the back all night long.”

That changed in the feature when he charged from last – 23rd – to finish 12th in his first appearance at the quarter-mile oval.

Similar circumstances greeted Bruce Jr. on Saturday at Devil’s Bowl Speedway in Mesquite, Texas, for the 40th annual Summer Nationals. After drawing the highest number in the pill draw, Bruce Jr. was only able to move from eighth to seventh during his heat race on the narrow track.

“We just couldn’t get through the heat races,” he said. “We’ve got to make some adjustments either car wise or driver wise to get through the heats.

“Not only were we starting in the back of the heat races, we were starting in the back of the B Mains. We just couldn’t go far enough forward.”

Bruce Jr. charged from eighth to fourth in his B Main, but missed transferring to the feature by one position. It forced him to use another provisional.

“It’s something we really haven’t been accustomed to,” he said. “We went the whole year last year without using a provisional until the final race. I used one in a year and a half and I had to use two on back-to-back nights.”

After a caution on the opening lap, the rest of the race was caution-free as Bruce Jr. maneuvered from 23rd to crack the top five in the closing laps.

“We literally passed every single car under green,” he said after finishing fifth. “Honestly, that’s probably the fastest I’ve ever been at Devil’s Bowl and as good as I can remember. If we could have had a caution I actually think we could have had a chance to win it.”
The weekend concluded on Sunday when Bruce Jr. made his first-ever visit to Ark-La-Tex Speedway. This time Bruce Jr. rallied from fifth to finish third in his heat race, which earned him enough points to make it into the feature redraw. He pulled the No. 5 to start on the inside of the third row.

“We were good in the A Main,” he said. “At one point I was up to fourth. Right before the final caution I was under Jeff (Swindell) for third. When we went green I tried to go to the bottom to get around Jeff and (Channin) Tankersley drove around us.”

Bruce Jr. held on for his second straight fifth-place finish and his 10th top five of the season.

He is currently ninth in the Speedweek standings – only 10 points out of the top four. Speedweek resumes on Wednesday at Lawton Speedway in Lawton, Okla., before a trip to Creek County Speedway in Sapulpa, Okla., on Thursday and the finale at Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland, Mo., on Saturday.

QUICK RESULTS –

June 14 – Kennedale Speedway Park in Kennedale, Texas – Heat race: 5 (6); B Main: 5 (8); Feature: 12 (23).

June 15 – Devil’s Bowl Speedway in Mesquite, Texas – Heat race: 7 (8); B Main: 4 (8); Feature: 5 (23).

June 16 – Ark-La-Tex Speedway in Vivian, La. – Heat race: 3 (5); Feature: 5 (5).

SEASON STATS –

24 races, 2 wins, 10 top fives, 15 top 10s, 22 top 15s, 24 top 20s

UP NEXT –

Lucas Oil ASCS National Tour Sizzlin’ Summer Speedweek: Wednesday at Lawton Speedway in Lawton, Okla., Thursday at Creek County Speedway in Sapulpa, Okla., and Saturday at Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland, Mo.

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS –

Website: http://www.tonybrucejr.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/tonybrucejr

VIDEO –

Here is a link for RacinBoys’ footage of Bruce Jr.’s victory at Boyd Raceway on April 26: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Wx3nrOFTDyg

SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT – Eagle Motorsports

Eagle Motorsports, formerly known as Eagle Chassis, has fabricated sprint car chassis since 1998. Eagle has been a part of winning three Knoxville Nationals. For more information, visit EagleMotorsports.com.

“Our team is honored to have such a great affiliation with Eagle Motorsports,” Bruce Jr. said. “The quality and craftsmanship is second to none in the industry. Top that with great customer service and that’s why we chose Eagle Motorsports in 2013.”

Bruce Jr. would also like to thank Lubbock Wrecker Service, The Oil Medics, Wheeler Metals, 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.

INSIDE LINE PROMOTIONS –

Inside Line Promotions specializes in affordable public relations, media management and merchandising services for sprint car teams. ILP Founder Shawn Miller leverages professional journalism with new media technologies and social networking to improve your exposure and your sponsors’ return on investment.

To meet the media relations needs of your team, contact Shawn at 541-510-3663 or sprintcarreporter@yahoo.com. For more information on Inside Line Promotions, visit www.insidelinepromotions.com.