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TBJ off track in Las Cruces

Inside Line Promotions – LAS CRUCES, N.M. (Nov. 15) – If it wasn’t for a couple of mistakes, Tony Bruce Jr. would have likely had one of his most successful weekends of the season.

Unfortunately, a driver error each night led to the Liberal, Kan., native sliding off the 5/16-mile Southern New Mexico Speedway in Las Cruces, N.M. Both times he was forced to the back of the pack at the ASCS National Tour event and resulted in a pair of top-15 finishes.

“The car was definitely fast enough,” he said. “If I don’t make an error on the first night we at least get a top 10. And on the second night it was just my fault driving off the race track again. For as many times as I drove off the track all weekend, we never lost a spot from where we started.”

After moving from fifth to third in Friday’s heat race on a locked-down track, Bruce Jr. earned enough points to be the last car out of the 61 competitors to automatically advance to the 25-lap feature.

“We were definitely just relieved to be in after the heat race with as many good cars that were there, especially with the way the track was,” he said. “We actually went out in the feature with almost the exact same setup as the heat. The track was pretty much wet all night long.”

After starting 16th, Bruce Jr. worked his way into the top 10 within a handful of laps. However, a spin in turns three and four prior to the midpoint of the race forced him to restart in the back. He was then able to pass nearly a dozen cars in the second half of the event to finish 13th.

“I really think it was great,” he said. “We had a good, solid top 10 run going. I just ran out of room in turns three and four, got a little excited and ran off the track. All in all, other than the fact I ran off the track, I felt like we were really fast and going forward.”

After finishing where he started in Saturday’s heat race – third – Bruce Jr. was relegated to a B Main. He started fourth, but was bit in turns three and four again on the opening lap. Bruce Jr. jumped the treacherous cushion and spun out, which made him start over in last – 14th. Bruce Jr. battled to pass 10 cars and returned to fourth place, where he finished the 15-lap consolation race.

“We basically came from last to fourth,” he said. “By the time I got caught up, the track was one lane right in the middle of the track. I think we were a lot faster than the cars in front were, we just couldn’t do anything.”

He missed a transfer by two spots, but used a provisional to advance to the 30-lap feature. After a couple of cars stopped during the warm-ups, Bruce Jr. started the race in 21st.

“We were able to get around a few cars in the beginning before the track took rubber,” he said. “Once the rubber came we just had to fall in line and hope the guy in front of us made a mistake. Halfway through the race, all the racing was over and everyone just got in line.”

Bruce Jr. finished 15th, which was his 35th top 15 of the season. He now ranks ninth in the ASCS National Tour standings – only two points out of eighth.

He wraps up the season this Friday and Saturday at USA Raceway in Tucson, Ariz., with the ASCS National Tour for the 44th annual Western World Championships.

For live updates of Bruce Jr. and the rest of the competition, visit www.insidelinepromotions.com.

QUICK RESULTS –

Nov. 11 – Southern New Mexico Speedway in Las Cruces, N.M. – Heat race: 3 (5); Feature: 13 (16).

Nov. 12 – Southern New Mexico Speedway in Las Cruces, N.M. – Heat race: 3 (3); B Main: 4 (4); Feature: 15 (21).

SEASON STATS –

59 races, 51 features, 1 win, 6 top fives, 21 top 10s, 35 top 15s, 48 top 20s

UP NEXT –

Friday and Saturday at USA Raceway in Tucson, Ariz., with the ASCS National Tour for the 44th annual Western World Championships

FAVORITE NUMBER –

8: Place finish in last season’s preliminary night at the Western World Championships, which locked him into the final feature.

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, 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.

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