Donny Lia and his LMI #18 Team took the pole in qualifying for Sunday's NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour "Spring Sizzler" at Stafford Motor Speedway (CT). Lia clocked the quickest with a lap of 18.600 with an average speed of 96.774 mph around the famed Connecticut 1/2 mile oval. It was the second consecutive Bud Pole for Lia at the Spring Sizzler.
“I didn’t think it would be a fast time," said Lia about his quick lap. "I mean I’ve seen it before where it doesn’t feel too good, and you’re fast, so I guess I shouldn’t be surprised.
"The race track really slowed up, it just was real slick. The sun had been beating on it for a while and we didn’t have a ton of sun out there in the morning when we practiced. Luckily we picked up on it in the scuff session. In the scuff session it was a completely different deal than in practice and we were able to make a couple changes before qualifying. We made some stagger changes and stuff, and it just worked out.
"I’m real happy and proud of the guys. But, we’ve won a lot of poles before, and the last lap tomorrow is the one that counts. This is just a good start to the weekend."