DONNY LIA MAKES IMPRESSIVE PRO CUP DEBUT
The true
definition of a racer is someone who will hop into a racecar
as often as possible and drive the wheels off it in search
of the best result.
Some racers
will compete at more than one track in a weekend. Some
racers will run more than one type of racecar.
Occasionally, a hardcore racer will even hop on a plane to
run at two places separated by hundreds of miles.
But rarely,
in this day and age, will a driver race a regular weekly
show at a short track and then drive all night long to
another region of the country to compete in a totally
different type of racecar.
That is
exactly what Donny Lia did this past weekend. On Friday
night, he drove the #47 Clorox/Wisk SK Modified to a
tenth-place finish at Stafford Motor Speedway (CT). After
that race ended, it was time to hit I-84 and I-81 for a
midnight run to Lonesome Pine Speedway (VA) to make the 9:45
Rookie Meeting for the USAR Pro Cup race.
That was the
only time all weekend that Lia was behind.
“It was
crazy,” said Lia. “I’ll tell you, we cut it close getting
down there. We rolled in about 10. I missed the rookie
meeting, but it worked out. It was a 12-hour ride and
luckily, I had a few of my crew members driving so I was
fresh for the race. I didn’t mind the trip. Not too many
people travel like that any more. It was good to be able to
do it.”
Although it
was Lia’s first drive in a stock car, he adapted quickly.
Lia qualified the #29 Rogers Motorsports car in the third
position, ran in the top 10 for much of the race and then
survived a handling problem late in the event. Still, he
finished 13th, which is better than how most of
the 39 teams that showed up for the event fared. However,
the racer in Lia wanted more.
“We would
have been right up there in the top five if we didn’t have a
problem,” said Lia. “There was something that we just
missed in the set-up for the race because it didn’t feel
like the same car that we tested, practiced and qualified.
That’s why we finished 13th.
“I think that
I had enough of a feel for it that if we had the set-up
right, we would have had a top-three or top-five run. We
definitely could have battled with those guys, but I was
struggling with a really tight racecar the whole night. We
just couldn’t get it fixed. I think that maybe we had a
problem with a spring collapsing. They are bringing it back
to the shop to check it out. Something went wrong because
that car was a good piece. It was just off for the race.”
It was only
one week ago when Lia met the team and tested the Pro Cup
car in preparation for the Lonesome Pine race, but the
combination clicked right off the bat.
“The team
that Brad Rogers put together for the race was great,” said
Lia. “We had a quick pit stop and they are all just a good
group of guys. I’m very fortunate to drive a car that was
so good.”
Lia hopes to
be able to fit in more USAR Pro Cup races this season
between his regular gigs driving the #18 Lia Motorsports
Modified on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour and the #47 SK
Modified. He’s also interested in getting behind the wheel
of any good racecar if the opportunity presents itself – and
traveling is no problem for the young New York racer.
“I’m not
opposed to driving anything,” said Lia. “Getting that seat
time is what it is all about. Every time that you get out
there on the track, you learn something.”
Before
heading to Lonesome Pine, Lia had a disappointing race in
the SK Modified at Stafford. Lia had a great car, but
couldn’t get the finish that he was capable of.
“I think that
we had a car good enough to win the race,” said Lia. “We
were going to the front early on and I don’t know what
happened. I got together with somebody in turn one and got
collected from the back. The next thing I know, we were
spinning out. We changed a tire and banged out some nerf
bars, but we took a pretty good shot and the car wasn’t the
same after that. We limped home to a tenth-place finish.”
Lia thinks
the luck for the #47 might be ready to turn around, though.
He has collected two top-ten finishes at Stafford to start
the season, even though he has been collected in wrecks
during both events.
“We’ve been
having bad luck and finishing poorly in the SK and we are
still fifth in points. Those guys are doing an awesome job
and they’ve been giving me a car that can win every week.
Once our luck turns, we’re going to start winning some
races.”
In 2005, Lia
and the LMI team are racing on the NASCAR Whelen Modified
Tour. For more information on Donny and the team, please
contact Matthew Dillner at (704) 231-7613 and be sure to
visit DonnyLia.com.
Source:
Matthew Dillner/Donny Lia PR
Posted: May 5, 2005
