Inside Line Promotions – KNOXVILLE, Iowa (Aug. 10) – Frustrating doesn’t begin to describe Tony Bruce Jr.’s start to the Knoxville Nationals.
His two-week stand at Knoxville Raceway in Knoxville, Iowa, for the biggest 360 and 410 weekends of sprint car racing got off to a rough start last Thursday. After hauling from California to the famed ½-mile dirt oval, Bruce Jr. was met with rain; a lot of it.
His preliminary night was washed out and delayed until Friday. When he finally hit the track, an engine issue further dampened the weekend.
“We had an engine going down in hot laps,” the Liberal, Kan., native said. “I knew there was something wrong from the word ‘go.’ It felt down on power and sick the entire time.
“That was the only one we had left. It ended up dropping a cylinder and breaking a valve later.”
Bruce Jr. gutted it out, but was slowed throughout the night; obvious in qualifying. He timed in 41st quick with a best lap of 16.665 seconds, with was more than seven-tenths off the fast qualifier. Bruce Jr. missed the invert by a little more than two-tenths of a second.
That forced him to start ninth in his heat race and after placing eighth, he was relegated to start deep in the B Main.
“There wasn’t much to do at that point,” he said after finishing 15th in the B Main. “We went out there, but if you’re down on power and in the back, you’re not going to be able to pass a dozen cars to get a transfer.”
Bruce Jr. returns to Knoxville Raceway for the 410 Knoxville Nationals this week. His qualifying night is Wednesday.
“I’m excited to put a 410 in and try again at Knoxville,” he said. “This is a big weekend and there’s a lot of attention on the sport, so we’re looking to create some momentum on Wednesday and see where we end up on Saturday.”
For live updates of Bruce Jr. and the rest of the Knoxville Nationals throughout the weekend, visit www.insidelinepromotions.com.
QUICK RESULTS –
Aug. 5 – Knoxville Raceway in Knoxville, Iowa – Qualifying: 41; Heat race: 8 (9); B Main: 15 (16).
SEASON STATS –
33 races, 28 features, 1 win, 4 top fives, 13 top 10s, 20 top 15s, 26 top 20s
UP NEXT –
Wednesday through Saturday at Knoxville Raceway in Knoxville, Iowa, for the 410 Knoxville Nationals
FAVORITE NUMBER –
17: Finishing position in last year’s C Main at the 50th annual Knoxville Nationals at Knoxville Raceway in Knoxville, Iowa.
SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS –
Website: www.tonybrucejr.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/tonybrucejr
ON THE AIR –
Bruce Jr. was a featured guest on the ASCS Show by Racinboys on May 24. Check out the link below for his interview, which starts at approximately 44:20 into the show.
http://www.meridix.com/mbp/general/index.php?liveid=Racinboys&recordid=19159
He was also on the April 26 edition. Click on the link below to listen to Bruce Jr.’s interview, which begins around the 52:25 mark.
http://www.meridix.com/mbp/general/index.php?liveid=Racinboys&recordid=18733
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 two years in diesel fuel.”
Bruce Jr. would like to thank his sponsors, including TBJ Promotions, 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.