Inside Line Promotions – GREENWOOD, Neb. (April 11) – Racing is about rhythm and Tony Bruce Jr. is working on getting that back.
The Liberal, Kan., native picked up his first two top-10 finishes of the season last weekend at the I-80 Cup, hosted at I-80 Speedway in Greenwood, Neb.
More impressive than the results were the finishes, when Bruce Jr. drove from 10th to place a season-high seventh late in the race on Friday and then from 14th to 10th in the final two laps of Saturday’s 25-lap feature.
“Terry McCarl once told me the professionals get it done in the last half,” Bruce Jr. said. “I just need 40-lap races.”
His performance on Friday was particularly exciting in the final five laps as his engine was smoking profusely. When he landed a huge wheelie off turn two, the magneto was knocked forward and some silicone broke around the lines, which allowed oil to spray everywhere.
Bruce Jr. rallied for his best finish of the year and the team fixed the car for Saturday, when he was forced to compete in a B Main after driving from eighth to sixth in his heat race.
After winning the B Main and starting 16th in the feature, Bruce Jr. fought a tight sprint car for the first half. He hung in the top 15 until two laps remained, when Bruce Jr. methodically picked off a handful of cars to claim his second straight top 10.
“I think everyone started to fade and we started to come on,” he said.
The results weren’t what Bruce Jr. had imagined, but it’s momentum.
“I wouldn’t say happy, but it’s not like I’m dejected either,” he said. “We just need to be up front to start these races. Whenever you start up front, everything is different.”
Bruce Jr. is scheduled to compete Friday and Saturday at I-30 Speedway in Little Rock, Ark., with the ASCS National Tour. He currently ranks seventh in the ASCS National Tour standings.
QUICK RESULTS –
April 8 – I-80 Speedway in Greenwood, Neb. – Heat race: 2 (3); Feature: 7 (14).
April 9 – I-80 Speedway in Greenwood, Neb. – Heat race: 6 (8); B Main: 1 (2); Feature: 10 (16).
SEASON STATS –
8 races, 8 features, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 2 top 10s, 6 top 15s, 8 top 20s
UP NEXT –
Friday and Saturday at I-30 Speedway in Little Rock, Ark., with the ASCS National Tour
FAVORITE NUMBER –
4: The number of positions Bruce Jr. gained in the final two laps on Saturday in the I-80 Speedway feature in Greenwood, Neb., to record a top-10 finish.
SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS –
Website: www.tonybrucejr.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/tonybrucejr
SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT – TBJ Promotions
TBJ Promotions is a full-service promotional company with an emphasis on sprint car racing. Owned and operated by Tony Bruce Jr. and Jesse Douglas, TBJ Promotions runs the Rock-N-Roll 50 at Riverside International Speedway in West Memphis, Ark. (May 7), the Steve King Memorial at Jetmore Motorplex in Jetmore, Kan. (May 28-29) and the Eagle Nationals at Eagle Raceway in Eagle, Neb. (June 10-11). For more information, visit www.tbjpromotions.com.
“We know what to do and know how to do the right thing in racing,” Bruce Jr. said. “I’ve lived the promotional side and the racing side. I’m out to win for the competitors and I’m out to win for the fans.”
Bruce Jr. would like to thank his sponsors, including The Oil Medics, Travelwizer.com, Ticketmob.com, LRB Manufacturing, Hoosier and Smiley’s Racing Products 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.