Donny Lia Readies for Riverhead With Plenty of Confidence

Mod Tour’s Hottest Driver Wants to Add Fourth Riverhead Trophy to Collection

For competitors on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, going to the tiny confines of Riverhead Raceway (NY) is usually a nerve-racking experience.  A number of track regulars come out to compete on a tricky track that they know very well, so earning a starting spot is a feat in itself and just being a tick off can ruin the whole race weekend.

don’t really feel that this time.  I’m really confident that we have a set-up that will be really fast in qualifying and the race.  It should be something that I’m able to drive and run my own pace with.  We should be good for the whole race.”

Lia doesn’t want to sound like he’s bragging either.  He just really believes in his team and expects the great accomplishments that they are racking up to continue.

“It’s not cockiness, it’s confidence in my equipment and my team,” said Lia.”

Lia knows how to win on the Tour, and at his home track of Riverhead, so he believes that this weekend could result in a pole, a victory or maybe even both.  He’s even been getting a little bit of practice at the track.

“We’re just ready,” said Lia.  “We’ll be really good here.  I raced at Riverhead a few weeks ago with my own car and we learned some stuff to apply to the #4 car and that will make us so much better.  We hope that we can get our fifth win of the year, or a pole.  It’s really not on my list of priorities, but I would like to win a pole this year.  I’ve never won one at Riverhead, so that would be really cool to do.   

The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour event at Riverhead Raceway is scheduled for Saturday, August 4th.

Lia's #4 Modified.  (51 Photo)

Even for Donny Lia, who has three victories at the track, heading to Riverhead can sometimes be stressful.  But not this season.  Lia is on a roll in 2007, winning four of the first seven Tour races on the schedule.  His pairing with the #4 Mystic Missile team of Bob Garbarino has taken off right away, and with that solid team behind him for Saturday’s NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour event at Riverhead, Lia has plenty of confidence.

“At Riverhead, you always have to worry about qualifying and racing,” said Lia.  ‘There is such a fine line between being really good or not.  It’s really easy to miss the set-up by just a little bit and have that really hurt you.  So I usually go into this race with some uneasiness.  I