Donny Lia’s championship season came to a crowning conclusion
Friday at the Mohegan Sun Resort where he was honored as the
2007 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion at the series awards
banquet.
Lia’s first career NASCAR title made him the 60th NASCAR
Modified champion dating back to the division’s first champion,
Red Byron, in 1948. NASCAR’s first sanctioned event was a
Modified race and Lia’s coronation kicks off a celebration of
the Modified division’s rich and storied history that will
encompass the entire 2008 season.
“I don’t think it totally set in that we’re the champions
until we got here,” said Lia, “and we had the banquet and you
see the race car on display and hear what everybody had to say.
It’s just a real special deal for us and everything we
accomplished this year comes to a head.”
Lia earned $104,225 as the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour
champion, collecting $40,000 in point fund money, as well as
$8,000 as the season-long Budweiser Pole Award and Whelen
Engineering Winner of the Race Award winner. He was also
presented with the prestigious NASCAR championship ring by
NASCAR Managing Director of Racing Operations George Silbermann.
In addition, Lia was awarded the new NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour
trophy. The trophy, introduced this season by NASCAR and series
sponsor Whelen Engineering, features the name of every NASCAR
Modified champion dating back to Byron’s championship season.
The list of past champions includes such racing legends as Bobby
Allison, Richie Evans, Jerry Cook, Mike Stefanik, and Bugs
Stevens.
Celebrating with Lia Friday was long-time Modified car owner
Bob Garbarino, who after nearly five decades in the sport,
earned his first NASCAR championship. Phil Kurze, vice president
of motorsports for series sponsor Whelen Engineering, presented
Garbarino with an identical championship trophy as Lia’s, in
honor of Garbarino’s dedication and loyalty to the NASCAR
Modified division throughout the years.
Friday’s banquet provided plenty more for Modified fans and
drivers to celebrate. Kurze announced Whelen has signed an
extension with NASCAR that extends the company’s series
entitlement of the Modified Tour and the Southern Modified Tour
an additional five years to the current agreement – through
2016.
In addition, NASCAR announced the 2008 schedule, as well as
plans to implement an optional spec engine as a cost-saving
initiative for Modified teams. The spec engine, which has had
solid success in the Grand National Division, will be introduced
for the 2008 season.
A number of special honors were also awarded Friday.
Stefanik, a six-time Modified champion, collected $6,000
Friday as the POWERade Power Move of the Race Award, while Ted
Christopher earned $5,035 as the Featherlite Driver Improvement
Award. Richard Savary was honored with a $2,000 check for
winning the Sunoco Rookie of the Year. Todd Szegedy picked up
the trophy for finishing second in the championship standings,
and Matt Hirschman received the third-place driver’s trophy.
In addition, Szegedy was named the Most Popular Driver; the
Boehler Family was honored with the Dedication Award; Eric
Sanderson received the Len Boehler Car Owner Award; Joe and
Linda Brady were presented with the Whelen Modified Tour Women’s
Auxiliary Award; Engine builder Bob Bruneau was honored with the
Sportsmanship Award; and Ronnie Silk was honored with the Driver
Achievement Award.
This year’s awards ceremony featured NASCAR race broadcaster
Mike Joy of Fox Sports as master of ceremonies.
Source: Jason
Christley/NASCAR PR
Posted:
December 15, 2007
