The past few weeks have been some of the most challenging of Cole Bruce’s life.
Cole lost his father Robert Bruce, a respected veteran racer in Virginia, on July 1 due to complications stemming from a heart attack he suffered at Langley Speedway. Since then, Cole has grappled with the sudden loss of Robert, understandably leaving racing on the backburner during the grieving process.
Saturday’s twin Late Model features at Langley will serve as Cole’s first time back behind the wheel following Robert’s death. Numerous emotions are occupying Cole’s mind ahead of the upcoming races, but from his perspective, doing what he and his dad loved the most is the best way to move forward.
“Overwhelmed would probably be the right word,” Cole said. “I’m trying to get everything prepped for this weekend. Obviously, it’s different because before it was always me and dad doing everything. I’m a little bit relieved, too, because it’s been about a month since I’ve been racing. We’re trying to get back into the realm of normal, everyday life.
“It’s going to be super weird and abnormal because I think this is the first race I’ve ever run without dad being there in the big car.”
Robert’s passion for motorsports in general was the primary influence behind Cole’s decision to become a racer himself.
Among the cars Robert raced included Grand Stocks at Old Dominion Raceway, and he was heavily involved in Late Model Stocks. Robert also occasionally made appearances in major touring divisions like the NASCAR Goody’s Dash Series and the ARCA Menards Series.
The only start Robert made across NASCAR’s top three series was a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Martinsville Speedway in 2013. He finished 28th in the No. 84 Ford for Mike Harmon.
Robert’s versatile career helped him acquire a plethora of knowledge he would share with other drivers that eventually included his son Cole. With Robert by his side, Cole gradually got himself acclimated to Late Model Stocks and earned his first victory in the discipline at Langley earlier this year.
The path to that milestone required Cole to diligently absorb everything Robert was trying to teach him about Late Model Stocks. This tutelage extended to the financial side of the Bruces’ operation, which allowed Cole to develop a careful, pragmatic approach with how he races his fellow competitors.
“[He wanted me] to understand the actual sport itself, whether it was behind the wheel or on the business side of stuff,” Cole said. “He taught me how to save a penny, that’s for sure. One lesson I learned growing up was not putting my nose in places it shouldn’t be, because then he’d make me fix all my wrecked cars.
“That helped me understand how expensive things [are] and how much funds we actually had, so I kind of matured a lot in those stages.”
[caption id="attachment_480236" align="alignnone" width="1300"]Cole is thankful for all the information he was able to retain from Robert. Now responsibility falls upon him to keep applying that knowledge, something Cole admits has been challenging during his first race week without Robert.
When Cole was attending classes at Liberty University, Robert would oversee the day-to-day operations of the team and get his Late Model Stock ready. Effectively stepping into his dad’s role has provided Cole a fresh perspective on short-track racing when it comes to the intricacies of making a small operation sustainable.
Nothing about the transition has been easy, but Cole is taking everything day-by-day with his scenario.
“[It’s been hard] doing a lot of the stuff on my own,” Cole said. “I have people around me who will come over and help me get the car ready, as well as answer my questions if I have any. Another logistical challenge is race week prep like cleaning up tires every week, scaling the car or, hell, just trying to find stuff in the shop.
“Now that [my dad’s] gone, I have a greater appreciation for [what he did], because there’s a lot more of a workload trying to do it yourself.”
With so much effort being exerted into preparing his No. 31 Clubtails Toyota just for Saturday evening, Cole has not given substantial thought into the long-term future of his team.
Cole does intend to finish the 2025 season at Langley and chase more victories in honor of his dad. With the Hampton Heat not being a points event, Cole did not have that race on his schedule prior to Robert’s death, but the two discussed potentially entering the ValleyStar Credit Union 300 at Martinsville Speedway again after skipping the race last year.
Funding will dictate whether Cole makes the trip to Martinsville in September, but he is determined to find a way into Late Model Stock’s crown jewel event. Robert was unable to make the ValleyStar Credit Union 300 during his lone attempt in 2013, with Cole himself failing to qualify for the race in 2022 and 2023.
A busy slate of events at Langley awaits Cole before the ValleyStar Credit Union 300. He sits fourth in Langley’s Late Model Stock standings with five races remaining and is confident the speed his car possessed earlier in the year will be prevalent as he closes out a productive-but-solemn year.
Cole knows he can win Saturday, but doing so would bring mixed emotions -- just like the entire week preceding the twin Late Model Stock features.
“[A win would] mean the world to me, but it would definitely suck since it’d be my first win without dad,” Cole said. “It’ll be a very emotional night if so, but I know he’ll be with me this weekend and all the other races moving forward. That’s all he wanted to see me do, succeed. We’re ready to go out there and do what we normally do.”
[caption id="attachment_480237" align="alignnone" width="1300"]Cole has never known a life in motorsports without Robert. The two spent years developing their small operation into one that could regularly contend for wins in Langley’s competitive Late Model Stock class, with Cole believing the two had many more chapters in that journey ahead.
One positive through a tumultuous period for Cole and the Bruce family is that he has had plenty of time to reflect on numerous great memories with Robert. Cole will always remember Robert as a great short-track competitor, but an even better father.
“Dad was always in my corner,” Cole said. “We’ve gone through a lot of trials and errors, but whether I was in the wrong or right, he was always there backing me up but made sure I understood where I messed up. We finally got to a point where we understood each other well, and he always supported everything I wanted to do.
“He always sacrificed a lot for us to make sure that me, my sister and my family were always able to do what we wanted to do.”
Robert may be gone, but his spirit lives on through Cole, a son determined to carry on his father’s love and commitment to motorsports.