Hagans Racing Signs Donny Lia to ARCA Schedule
INDIANAPOLIS,
IN (December 10, 2005)
– Hagans
Racing has an impressive record when it comes to bringing young
drivers into the ARCA RE/MAX Series and turning them into
racing’s future superstars. Now it will put its impressive team
under another new name to the ARCA stock car ranks. Hagans
Racing announced today that Donny Lia will look to become the
next bright star with the team. The New York native will pilot
the Hagans Racing number-9 Dodge for a minimum of eight races in
2006.
“I’m so happy
and grateful I could get a deal like this where I can get the
big track experience for a great race team like Hagans Racing,”
said Lia. “I know I’m going to have a ton of fun and also get
some good experience and I hope that I can get the job done.
Once I get the experience and earn some respect, I’m not going
to do anything other than go after ARCA wins; I’m not here to
mess around.”
In his short
racing career, the 25-year-old Lia has become a proven winner
and championship contender. Lia comes to Hagans Racing after a
successful three-year stint in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour
where he was the 2003 Rookie of the Year. He won a race in both
his rookie and sophomore seasons and added two more victories in
2005. In addition to that, Lia has won some of the top
unsanctioned Modified races in the country, including the 2004
North vs. South Shootout in North Carolina and the $10,000
outlaw modified race in Massachusetts. It is that winning
history and attitude that team owner Matt Hagans feels will
bring plenty of success to his organization with Lia behind the
wheel.
“I don’t think
there’s a more competitive short track series than the NASCAR
Modifieds. A lot of pros have started there,” said Hagans, who
racked up four wins with Joey Miller as their driver this past
year. “Donny has done so well with the Modified and he’s been
so fast in everything he’s been in. He’s a proven winner. He’s
won a lot of races and he’s on a fast track to going forward and
we feel we can be successful together in the ARCA RE/MAX
Series.”
Matt Hagans
has been successful in everything he has put his mind to,
whether it’s his Eagle Creek Aviation business in Indiana or his
race team. In 2005, Hagans Racing finished second in the ARCA-RE/MAX
Series standings with driver Joey Miller. Hagans has built a
race team that is capable of bringing a young driver to success
on the race track and that’s part of what Lia is excited about.
“I have always
gone to the track to win,” said Lia, who began his career in
Legends cars. “I’m not expecting to do anything different with
this opportunity. Matt Hagans is a real competitive person and
a straight-shooter, plus there’s a great bunch of guys with the
team. I worked with them in a Hooters Pro Cup event earlier in
the year (at the Bristol Motor Speedway) and I learned that they
have the same mentality that I do at the track. They simply
want to win. There’s no other option with this race team and I
like that. I go out there to win and Matt does the exact same
thing, so together we’ll make a really strong combination.”
“Donny and his
family are all very competitive and they’re there to win and not
finish second,” echoed Hagans. “That fits right into what I
want to do. I run a class operation to finish first, and that’s
what Donny does too.”
In addition to
the minimum of eight ARCA RE/MAX Series speedway events that Lia
will be competing in, Matt Hagans will also be behind the wheel
of a Hagans Racing Dodge to start off the season at the Daytona
International Speedway in the Daytona ARCA 200 on February 11.
A schedule of which races Lia will compete in will be released
in the near future.
The Hagans
Racing team led Joey Miller to the 2005 ARCA Rookie of the Year
award. The organization is now exploring marketing options for
the 2006 racing season. For more information on Matt Hagans and
Hagans Racing, or Donny Lia, please contact Zach Drager at (704)
426-0330 and be sure to visit
www.hagansracing.com or
www.donnylia.com.
Source: Donny Lia PR
Posted:
December 10, 2005
