Donny Lia was really looking forward to racing at Kentucky Speedway since it was a track that the New York native had seen before; something rare for the Raybestos Rookie of the Year contender who cut his teeth on short tracks in the Northeast.  Lia, who had previously logged laps in an ARCA RE/MAX car at Kentucky Speedway, was hoping the on-track experience would help his learning curve in preparation for the 150-lap NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series’ Built Ford Tough 225 on Saturday night.  The extra track time seemed to help as Lia posted the ninth fastest lap time in first practice, but the handling changed on Lia’s Chevrolet once the race got underway, under the lights on Saturday night.  Lia fought a tight condition, but managed to claim a top-20 finish in his NCTS debut at the 1.5-mile oval.

When Lia took the green flag for the start of the race, he quickly picked up four spots before the first caution flew on lap four and his Crew Chief called him to pit road for fuel.  Lia returned to the track 29th, but he didn’t remain there long.  Lia moved into 24th but became “super tight” a condition that the team tried to repair on lap 23 after the caution was displayed for fluid on the track.  Lia pitted for four tires, fuel, and a rubber in the right rear, but his truck was still way too tight after the race resumed. 

Lia hit pit road for another round of adjustments on lap 54 after the caution and subsequent red flag was displayed.  After the pit stop, Lia continued to fight a tight condition and the team continued to make repairs on each pit stop.  But despite their attempts, the laps wound down and Lia was credited with a 20th place finish in his first career NCTS start in Kentucky.

“We were tight all night long,” said Lia after the race.  “But all in all, I think we learned a lot.  We picked up six spots from our last race at Memphis, and if we can keep doing that, we’ll be in good shape.  Our goal here was to build momentum and I think we accomplished that with our top-20 run.  We’re going testing at Chicagoland Speedway next week and I think that is going to help our entire program a lot.  All in all, to come out of Kentucky with a top-20 finish and all the fenders on our truck is a pretty good accomplishment.  Now I’m really looking forward to going to Indianapolis and returning to short track racing.”

Lia will return to his short track roots as he and the No. 71 TRG Motorsports Chevrolet descend on the 0.686-mile oval of O’Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis.  The 200-lap Power Stroke Diesel 200 will begin at 8 p.m. ET.  Live television coverage will be provided by the SPEED Channel with radio coverage coming to you live from MRN Radio.

Donny Lia – No. 71

NationRides.com

Chevrolet

July 19th, 2008

Kentucky Speedway

The Built Ford Tough 225

Sparta, Kent.

Post: Kentucky Motor Speedway - The Built Ford Tough 225

Donny Lia Race Post:  Top-20 In Kentucky