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Bruce Jr. Claims Opening Night of Hockett/McMillin Memorial, Third in Finale

Inside Line Promotions – WHEATLAND, Mo. (Sept. 30, 2013) – Tony Bruce Jr. and his race team are peaking at the right time.

Bruce Jr. claimed the opening night of the Jesse Hockett/Daniel McMillin Memorial on Friday, which marked the first of his two podiums last weekend at Lucas Oil Speedway with the Lucas Oil ASCS National Tour.

The successful weekend also extended his top-seven streak to 10 straight races with six of those events being top-five results. He is now only 87 points out of third place in the Lucas Oil ASCS National Tour championship standings with four weekends of racing remaining this season.

“You really need to be good all the time, but it’s one of those deals where it’s a long season and we’ve always strived on never quitting, never getting tired toward the end of the season and keep plugging away,” he said. “You never know what can happen. There’s a lot of money to be made at the end of the year with these big events coming up. It is key to finish strong and build momentum into the next season as well.”

Bruce Jr. did exactly that last weekend at the event that honored a pair of late ASCS stars who both passed away at a young age. After charging from ninth to fourth place during the opening lap of his heat race on Friday, Bruce Jr. placed third in his heat to earn enough points into the feature redraw.

“The track was pretty wet on Friday night,” he said. “I told (crew member) Austin that I wanted to draw in the back and he listened and got it done for us. We had a good start because a lot of guys went into turn one and got tight and pushed up the race track. I entered a little higher and diamonded it.”

Bruce Jr. then pulled the No. 2 in the random draw, which determined the starting lineup of the 25-lap feature. After starting on the outside of the front row, Bruce Jr. rocketed into the lead on the opening lap and never looked back in the caution-free race.

“I think we would have had a car that could have contended for the win even if we hadn’t started on the front row,” he said. “We went caution-free and that let me stay in a rhythm. When we got to lapped traffic we were able to get to them and pass them and get to the next car. We were one of the few cars that could hold it wide open on the bottom in turns three and four. I think that’s where we stretched it on them.”

His fourth victory of the season locked him into the feature redraw for the finale of the Jesse Hockett/Daniel McMillin Memorial, which was delayed from Saturday to Sunday because of weather.

“It means a lot,” Bruce Jr. said of the win. “The Hockett family still means a lot to us. It is an honor to win the Hockett/McMillin race. We were such good friends with Jesse and Daniel.”

After a rain-filled Saturday, Bruce Jr. and his team returned to the track on Sunday, when he drew the No. 3 to start the feature on the inside of the second row.

“On the initial start we passed (Derek) Hagar for second and unfortunately somebody got upside down on the start,” he said. “Whenever we came out of (turn) two on the first lap of the next start we were running third and we got in line. When we got into traffic I was able to get around (Brian) Brown for second and was right there and he got back around us. We just needed to stay in traffic. We were all pretty much the same speed. It was wide open right around the top.”

Bruce Jr. finished third to earn his 21st top-five result of the season.

The team will take the next couple of weeks off before returning to the track for the 40th annual Winter Nationals with the Lucas Oil ASCS National Tour at Devil’s Bowl Speedway in Mesquite, Texas, Oct. 18-19.

QUICK RESULTS –

Sept. 27 – Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland, Mo. – Heat race: 3 (9); Feature: 1 (2).

Sept. 29 – Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland, Mo. – Feature: 3 (3).

SEASON STATS –

54 races, 4 wins, 21 top fives, 35 top 10s, 45 top 15s, 49 top 20s

UP NEXT –

Friday and Saturday, Oct. 18-19, at Devil’s Bowl Speedway in Mesquite, Texas, for the 40th annual Winter Nationals with the Lucas Oil ASCS National Tour

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS –

Website: http://www.tonybrucejr.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/tonybrucejr

VIDEO –

Here is a link for RacinBoys’ footage of Bruce Jr.’s victory at Boyd Raceway on April 26: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Wx3nrOFTDyg

APPAREL –

Bruce Jr. has black and white t-shirts in adult sizes for sale at his race trailer at each of his races. For his schedule, visit http://www.TonyBruceJr.com/schedule.

SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT – Eagle Motorsports

Eagle Motorsports, formerly known as Eagle Chassis, has fabricated sprint car chassis since 1998. Eagle has been a part of winning three Knoxville Nationals. For more information, visit http://www.EagleMotorsports.com.

“Our team is honored to have such a great affiliation with Eagle Motorsports,” Bruce Jr. said. “The quality and craftsmanship is second to none in the industry. Top that with great customer service and that’s why we chose Eagle Motorsports in 2013.”

Bruce Jr. would also like to thank Lubbock Wrecker Service, The Oil Medics, Wheeler Metals, Briley Trucking, Hinchman Racewear, Smiley’s Racing Products, SWE, Maxwell Industries, FK Rod Ends, ButlerBuilt Professional Seat Systems, Factory Kahne Shocks, DriverWebsites.com, RacinBoys.com, Wilwood, Schoenfield Headers, Hoosier Tires, HRP, Kaeding Performance, Schaeffer Oil, Fuel Safe, Bell Helmets, Four Seasons Radiator, Southern Trailer Works, KSE, Brown and Miller Racing Solutions, Weld Wheels, ISC Racers Tape and Pressure Tek 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 http://www.insidelinepromotions.com.

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