May 24, 2008
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Ohio 250
May 24, 2008
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Ohio 250
May 24, 2008
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Ohio 250
Donny Lia is an American racing driver from Jericho,
New York. He won the 2007 NASCAR Whelen Modified
Tour championship. He also won the Race of Champions
Modified Tour races in 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007.
He has raced in the ARCA RE/MAX Series and the
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.
Before he began his racing career, Donny competed in
computer racing games online against competitors all
over the world. He credits gaming for helping
develop his interest in motorsports and for
improving his reflexes and his hand-eye
coordination.
In 1999, Lia began racing a Legends car at Wall
Township Speedway (Wall, New Jersey). He won several
times including the track's biggest event, the
prestigious Turkey Derby. In 2000, Lia continued
racing his Legends car with success all over the
eastern United States.
In 2001, Lia competed in the NASCAR Modified
division at Riverhead Raceway (Riverhead, New York)
and he won Rookie of the Year honors. He also made
his NASCAR Modified Tour debut at Martinsville
Speedway. The 2002 season was spent gaining
experience for a full-time move to the NASCAR
Modified Tour in 2003.
In 2003, Lia placed in the top ten in NASCAR
Featherlite Modified Series (previous name of the
Whelen Modified Tour) points on his way to another
Rookie of the Year award. He claimed five poles in
2004, more than any other competitor, which earned
him the Bud Pole Award. He also competed on the Race
of Champions Modified Tour, taking a big victory in
the second-annual North-South Shootout at Concord
Motorsport Park in North Carolina. Lia continued
racing his Modifieds in 2005, winning two Whelen
Modified Tour races and finishing sixth in WMT
season points.
In 2006 he was given his first opportunity to race
in a stock car. He practiced and qualified for the
Nashville Superspeedway event in the ARCA series. He
won one event on the Whelen Modified Tour and two
pole positions, and he won three unsanctioned
events.
In 2007 he won six Whelen Modified Tour races
including the events at Martinsville, 2 at Stafford,
Thompson, New Hampshire, and Riverhead. He clinched
the season points championship before the final
race. On September 15, 2007 he made his first
appearance in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. He
raced in the Bill Davis Racing #36 Toyota at New
Hampshire, finishing 20th.
He had been set for HT Motorsports with the #59
Toyota in late 2007, and drove at Homestead hoping
for a full 2008 season. However, sponsorship did not
pan out, and instead joined The Racer's Group for
the 2008 season, driving the #71 TRG Line-X
Chevrolet Silverado starting at California (he is
ineligible to race at Daytona because of minimum
driver proficiency rules). He had his first Top 10
finish at Martinsville Speedway when he finished
ninth. He had his first Craftsman Truck Series win
at Mansfield in the Ohio 250 on May 24, 2008.
