Riverhead Raceway Is Where Lia Got His Start & His First Two Mod Tour Wins
Riverhead Raceway doesn’t have the speed of New Hampshire International Speedway, the crowds of Martinsville Speedway or the marquee events like Thompson’s World Series or Stafford’s Spring Sizzler. But when the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour visits the track, it is one of the most anticipated stops all year long for Donny Lia and his #18 LMI team. Why? Because it’s home.
Going home has its perks. Lia has won two Mod Tour races at Riverhead over the past few seasons. He finished third there in June’s race and he’s ready for a good run this Saturday night.
“I love going there,” said Lia. “It always feels good to get back to Riverhead. I started racing there and it’s home.”
The timing of the Riverhead race couldn’t be better. Lia had finished 11th and 10th in the last two Modified Tour races. Those results might be good for some teams, but not Lia’s operation. Since they are in the top five of the point standings, they expect better results and a good finish at Riverhead could be the catalyst for that.
“We’ve been struggling for the past couple of races.
I think that this is the perfect opportunity to get a good finish and to start building some momentum again. There’s no better place to go to than Riverhead for that.”
Since Riverhead is a tight and physical track, it is not the most popular stop on the Tour for many drivers, but Lia is fine with that.
“I enjoy racing there even though I know that a lot of people don’t. It’s a tough place to qualify and race at. You pay for every little mistake you make. But that makes you a better driver at the end of the day. You need to be on your toes and there’s no room for anything but your best effort. You need to give it your total concentration.”
Lia in victory lane at Riverhead Raceway (NY).
The #18 LMI car. (Howie Hodge Photo)
Lia has one win on the Whelen Modified Tour this season. He dominated the June event at Waterford Speedbowl (CT). He also has victories in open shows at Seekonk Speedway (MA) and New Smyrna Speedway (FL). Lia is looking forward to maybe adding another victory this weekend at a place where he sure knows how to win at.
“I got my first two Tour wins at Riverhead
and a bunch of weekly wins as well,” said Lia. “I only ran there one full season, people think that we raced there for years, but we only ran full-time once. It was a good year and I learned a lot. It definitely got me going in the right direction before joining the Modified Tour.”
The Riverhead event is on Saturday night, August 6th. Lia will also compete in the SK Modified event on Friday night at Stafford Motor Speedway with his #47 Wisk/Snuggle car.
