Inside Line Promotions – TUCSON, Ariz. (Nov. 23) – It was only one position, but that spot proved critical for Tony Bruce Jr.
After starting fifth in his heat race last Friday at the 44th annual Western World Championships at USA Raceway in Tucson, Ariz., Bruce Jr. lost a spirited battle for third place. Ultimately, it forced him to compete in the B Main at the ASCS National Tour event.
“I felt like I kinda gave away third,” he said. “It gave away a good starting spot in the A Main. I was kinda disappointed over that.”
The Liberal, Kan., native rallied by leading all 12 laps to win the B Main – his 12th consolation victory of the season. That transferred him to the 25-lap feature, which he started 17th.
“We had a real fast car in the B Main,” he said. “I was able to take it wherever I wanted to. Once the bottom went away in turns three and four in the A Main, it was single file on the top. We just had to get in line and hope for a guy in front of us to make a mistake.”
Bruce Jr. finished 11th and missed locking into Saturday’s $15,000-to-win feature by three positions.
His point total lined him up third in a 15-lap B Main on Saturday, when the top three transferred to the main event.
After climbing to second on the opening lap, Bruce Jr. stalked Calvin Landis for the lead once the duo entered lapped traffic near the midpoint.
“We were a lot faster than he was, but since we were in a transfer spot I didn’t want to chance it too much,” Bruce Jr. said. “The track began to take rubber a car width off the cushion about six or seven laps in. Each lap that went by it kept moving down the race track.”
Bruce Jr. ended a close second to advance to the 30-lap feature, which he lined up 20th. The track was reworked before the main event and most of the teams were left guessing for the setup.
“We had a really good start,” he said. “We passed a lot of cars in the beginning, but I jumped up on the top and every car I passed got right back by me. There hadn’t been a bottom all night and there it was all of a sudden. I got caught on the outside.”
Bruce Jr. finished where he started to record his 50th top 20 of the season. He also ended the season ranked eighth in the ASCS National Tour standings. It was his third consecutive season ranked in the top eight and his fifth time in the past seven seasons of a top 10. He plans on competing for the championship next season.
“We’re really looking forward to next year,” he said. “Since Wayne Priddy has been back with this team we’ve never lost a spot. Whether it’s been in a heat race, a B Main or a feature, we’ve either stayed the same or moved forward.
“Also, I want to thank Travis Marsch for all the hard work and dedication throughout the year. I really appreciate it.”
QUICK RESULTS –
Nov. 18 – USA Raceway in Tucson, Ariz. – Heat race: 4 (5); B Main: 1 (2); Feature: 11 (17).
Nov. 19 – USA Raceway in Tucson, Ariz. – B Main: 2 (3); Feature: 20 (20).
SEASON STATS –
61 races, 53 features, 1 win, 6 top fives, 21 top 10s, 36 top 15s, 50 top 20s
FAVORITE NUMBER –
8: Position Bruce Jr. finished in the ASCS National Tour standings.
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 – TBJ Promotions
TBJ Promotions is a full-service promotional company with an emphasis on sprint car racing. Owned and operated by Tony Bruce Jr., 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, Maxwell Industries, Steve Watt Enterprises 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.