Donny Lia - Biography

A Quick Learner Now Sets His Sites on NASCAR Dreams

Long Island, New York has for the last half century been a breeding ground for many NASCAR Modified stars - a few of whom have made it to the "big leagues" of racing. Just a handful of years after sitting behind the wheel of a Modified for the first time, Donny Lia is the most recent Long Islander to have success at the upper-levels of the sport.

Donny raced in the NASCAR Truck Series full-time in 2008 for TRG Motorsports and Randy Moss Motorsports. Lia made an immediate impact in the Truck Series, scoring his first career win in Mansfield Ohio in Ma.

The Truck Series success came on the heels of a dream season in the Modified ranks. Paired with Legendary car owner Bob Garbarino, the duo scored six wins in 2007 on the way to winning the coveted NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Championship.

Lia’s first exposure to the racing world did not come behind the wheel of karts or quarter midgets like most drivers his age.  Rather than starting off in the seat of a racecar, Lia’s initiation to racing actually came in the chair at his computer.  He competed online in racing simulation games against competitors from all over the world.  The experience helped to develop his interest for the sport and refined his reflexes and hand-eye coordination.

From that point on, Lia was officially bitten by the racing bug.  He wasn’t going to let his only racing experience come in front of a computer screen, though.  In 1999, it was time to strap in to a real racecar for the first time. 

Lia didn’t come from a racing family, nor did he have any on-track racing experience behind him, when he first took the wheel of a Legends car in 1999, but it didn’t take Lia very long to get a hang of the racing thing.  Within 10 races, he was already winning in the Legends car ranks at the ultra-tough Wall Township Raceway (NJ).  By the end of the season, he had collected a checkered flag in the biggest event of the season – the Legends portion of the prestigious Turkey Derby at the speedy high-banked speedplant.

In 2000, Lia raced his Legends Car throughout the United States.  He had competitive runs all across the map.  In Florida, he finished third in Legends points for Speedweeks.  On Long Island, he finished third in Riverhead Raceway (NY) Legends points, took the Rookie of the Year award and won three events.  In North Carolina, he took home a top-ten finish at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in the Legend Nationals.

The next logical step for Lia, being a Northeast racer, would be to get into the wheel of one of the most popular forms of racing, a Modified.  The 2001 season yielded another Rookie of the Year award, this time in the headlining NASCAR Modified division at Riverhead.  Winning two races and one pole helped him earn that honor.  Lia also made his first NASCAR Modified Tour start at Martinsville, where he adapted to a larger track very quickly by qualifying sixth in his first start.

Another season was spent gaining seat time and preparing for a full-time move to the NASCAR Modified Tour.  When Lia made that jump in 2003, he continued his streak of earning Rookie of the Year awards by notching his first one in a NASCAR Touring division.  The award didn’t come from default; Lia finished in the top 10 in the series final standings and was also victorious in his first full season.

The 2004 season saw Lia step up and become one of the biggest threats in Northeastern Modified Racing.  He won again on the NASCAR Modified Tour and collected five poles on the way to winning the prestigious year-end Bud Pole Award.  He also won on the Race of Champions Modified Tour and took what, to this day, might be the largest victory in his brief racing career - the second annual North-South Shootout at Concord Motorsport Park. (NC).

If the 2003 and 2004 seasons were his breakout seasons, 2005 was the year that Donny Lia became a household name as one of the most impressive young short track talents in the country.  His three poles on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour were impressive, but his two wins at Riverhead and Waterford Speedbowl (CT) rocketed Lia into Modified stardom. 

His success in 2005 got him attention from some of the biggest names in stock car racing.  Lia had his first opportunity to make a jump into the big leagues of auto racing early in 2006 in the ARCA RE/MAX Series.  Lia tested an ARCA car at Talladega Superspeedway, Nashville Superspeedway, Pocono Raceway, and Kentucky Speedway and made his ARCA racing debut at Nashville in April.  Lia ran competitively and qualified well in his maiden ARCA voyage, setting the stage for more stock car success down the road.

2007 was the most successful of Lia's young racing career. Teaming up with Legendary Modified car owner Bob Garbarino proved a winning combination.  Lia wasted no-time getting the #4 to victory lane, bringing Garbarino his first "Spring Sizzler" win at Stafford Motor Speedway. It was also Lia's first win at the famous Connecticut speedplant.

From there, Lia made a name for himself as the driver to beat week after week on the NASCAR Whelen Mod Tour. In 2007, Lia won six races including a big win at New Hampshire International Speedway the July NASCAR Sprint Cup weekend.  Donny also won the famed grandfather clock by taking the Whelen Made In America 300 at Martinsville Speedway (VA).

The success opened the eyes of many in the Motorsports world including Bill Davis Racing. In September, the NASCAR Team fielded a Craftsman Truck Series ride for Lia at New Hampshire International Speedway. Lia impressed in his Truck debut, starting last and finishing 20th.

Lia's stunning season culminated with the NASCAR Whelen Modified Series Championship.

In 2008, Lia continued his quick learning curve and success behind the wheel while competing in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. His first Truck Series win in May made him the first rookie to visit victory lane in the series since Carl Edwards.

The 2009 season held four NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour wins back in the Garbarino Mystic Missile #4 as well as his second Series Championship in three years. 

In addition to his racing activities, Lia is also successful in the business world.  He holds a Bachelor’s of Arts Degree from Northwood University in Automotive Marketing and Management and spends his time during the week as the General Manager of Huntington Honda in Huntington, New York.

Lia's passion for his hobby, RC car racing, led him to open 360 Speedway and Hobbies. He owns and operates the popular RC Speedway and Hobby shop on Long Island

But it’s on the racetrack where Lia gets his best work done.  He will be back with “The Tour” for another season in 2010 where Donny hopes to continue to win races and turn heads within the racing world.