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(Photo by Jessica Edmiston Photography)

Inside Line Promotions – TULSA, Okla. (Jan. 22, 2020) – Team Eights driver Tony Bruce Jr. earned his best Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals Presented by General Tire result since 2016 last week during the 34th edition of the premier midget event.

Bruce Jr. placed a career-best 11th during his preliminary night inside the River Spirit Expo Center a week ago Monday before closing the event that featured approximately 350 drivers with an 11th-place outing in a C Main on Saturday.

“All in all it was pretty good,” he said. “We were in the first C Main so it was right after they reworked the track. I knew it’d be hard to pass. We got hung out on the outside the first couple of laps and that was about it. After that we got in line. By that time you’re racing with the best cars so it’s tough to make up a lot of ground.”

The event began on Monday with a charge from sixth to fourth place in a heat race before a win during a qualifier ranked Bruce Jr. ninth in points out of the 57 drivers competing that night.

“I felt like we pretty much did everything we were supposed to,” he said. “We made it through the heat race and got through the qualifier pretty good. That put us in a good spot for the A Main. We were running eighth and got tangled up in someone else’s mess. We had to go to the back and recovered for an 11th-place finish.

“Luck plays a part in every race that you’re in. There’s so many cars at the Chili Bowl and the margin of error is so small you have to do everything perfect and hope it works out.”

The 11th-place run was his best finish during a preliminary night and his performance during Saturday’s finale marked his best overall event outing in four years.

“We tried a few different things with the car and it seemed to help out a lot,” Bruce Jr. said. “I was pleased with our drivability on the prelim night. Hopefully we can keep going back and improving each time.”

QUICK RESULTS –

Jan. 13 – River Spirit Expo Center in Tulsa, Okla. – Heat race: 4 (6); Qualifier: 1 (2); Feature: 11 (9).

Jan. 18 – River Spirit Expo Center in Tulsa, Okla. – C Main: 11 (8).

MEDIA LINKS –

Website: http://www.TonyBruceJr.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TonyBruceJr

SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT – Wheeler Metals

Established in 1968, Wheeler Metals is a sheet metal business that offers a variety of products for professional and amateur builders. Wheeler Metals has three locations in Muskogee, Okla., Rogers, Ark., and Springfield, Mo. For more information, visit http://www.WheelerMetals.com.

“When I moved to the Tulsa area a few years back we built a brand new shop,” Bruce Jr. said. “We always strive as a race team to find the best products for the situation and that was no different selecting the company to build our building. Wheeler Metals was the perfect fit for our needs. From 10x10 pole barns to 100x100 full metal buildings, they have it all. I challenge anyone to find a building company that will work the customers’ needs like they do.”

INSIDE LINE PROMOTIONS –

Inside Line Promotions specializes in affordable public relations and media management for motor sports drivers, teams, sponsors, tracks, series, events, organizations and manufacturers. ILP Founder Shawn Miller leverages professional journalism with new media technologies and social networking to improve your exposure and the return on investment for your sponsors.

To meet the media relations needs of your program by joining Team ILP, contact Shawn at 541-510-3663 or Shawn@InsideLinePromotions.com. For more information on Inside Line Promotions, visit http://www.InsideLinePromotions.com.