Robert Bruce Registers Top-10 Result During Sioux Chief PowerPEX 250

Robert Bruce overcame an early spin to register the first top-10 finish of his ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards career on Saturday evening at Elko Speedway during the Sioux Chief PowerPEX 250 presented by CW Metals and MatrixCare.

Driving the No. 2 CW Metals/Bugsy's Auto Ford for Mullins Racing, Bruce qualified 13th in the 18-car field. The start of the 250-lap event wasn't smooth for Bruce, who made contact with Riley Herbst and spun on the 10th lap to bring out the first caution flag of the night.

“We started the race pretty decent, not bad really,” Bruce said. “The 18 car (Herbst) spun me out going into the corner near the start of the race. That put us back a bit, but it wasn't a big deal. We held our own pretty well.”

Bruce overcame the spin and ran consistently for the rest of the night despite falling a few laps down. A timely caution late in the race allowed the Mullins Racing team to bolt on four fresh tires, which allowed him to get the free pass twice during ensuing caution periods.

“We had to just hold our own until we got a caution so we could put four tires on for the last segment,” Bruce said. “We were very fortunate and blessed that we got the lucky dog twice and that put us in a decent position for the end of the race.”

Several incidents near the end of the race jumbled the field, allowing Bruce to cross the finish line in 10th position, one lap behind race winner Gus Dean.

The 10th-place result for Bruce was the first top-10 finish of his ARCA Racing Series career and was also the first top-10 finish for Mullins Racing on a short track in ARCA competition. Mullins Racing previously registered a pair of top-10 finishes at Daytona International Speedway with team owner Willie Mullins behind the wheel, including a runner-up result earlier this year.

“Every car in front of us was a big money car, so to bring home a top-10 for Mullins Racing is awesome,” Bruce said. “All in all not a bad effort, the cars are all in one piece. We just missed it a little bit. I can't thank Willie and Dinah (Mullins) enough for giving me the opportunity, as well as CW Metals for their support.

“We'll build on this and see if we can't get another top-10 at another race down the line.”

The No. 2 Mullins Racing Ford carried sponsorship support from CW Metals, Crow Wing Recycling, Bugsy's Auto, Snap On by Timmy Brann, Sherwin Williams Paint and Dinah Marie Photography.