Lia Heads Home To Riverhead With Winning On His Mind

Things are Going Good for #18 Team Entering Their Home Event

“Sweet Home Riverhead” doesn’t quite roll off the tongue like Lynyrd Skynyrd’s classic “Sweet Home Alabama,” but for 25-year-old Donny Lia, it sounds even better. Lia returns to his home-track of Riverhead Raceway (NY) this weekend for a NASCAR Featherlite Modified Series race at the quarter-mile oval.

The event is extra-special to him for several reasons. First, Lia will likely have his own cheering section at the track on Saturday night. Not only will he have a throng of family and friends in attendance, he will also have employees from his family’s automobile dealerships, where he works during the week.

Then there is the on-track experience Lia has at Riverhead. He earned his first Modified Series victory at the tight bullring in this same event last season. Add the fact that the #18 Lia Motorsports team is on a roll right now, with a move from 16th to 6th in the

point standings over the past three races, and it looks like victory number two in the Modified Series might not be far behind.

“I’m definitely excited about going back to Riverhead,” said Lia. “Now that we have a good handle on the racecar, we’ll be really competitive there. If there’s any racetrack that I know better than anyplace else, it’s Riverhead and we will be going there on an even playing field with everyone else.”

Momentum is on Lia’s side right now. He finished second at Beech Ridge (ME), led laps at New Hampshire before finishing fifth and then finished second at Seekonk (MA) last weekend. It’s been a good three race stretch for the #18 team, but Lia would be glad to return to Riverhead even without his recent good runs.

“We could be going in there without having finished the last five races and I’d still be feeling good about the race,” said Lia. “There are a lot of high expectations for us because I’ve won there in regular weekly racing, won my first Modified Series race there and also won a bunch of Legends car races at the track. It’s a track that I know really well. It is also one of my favorite places. Whether it was my home track or not, I’d still love racing there.”

Last month, Donny won a Race of Champions Modified race at Thompson.  This month, he's gunning for the Tour race in his own backyard.

Lia’s recent good record also includes a few impressive qualifying runs as well. He set the fastest time in qualifying at both Beech Ridge and Seekonk and started in the top five at New Hampshire. His success against the clock has surprised Lia a little bit, but he credit’s his team for making it all possible.

“I never really thought of myself as a good qualifier, but it’s easy to do when you are really dialed in,” saidLia. “We are all thrilled with the way that we’ve been qualifying and the guys on this team are giving me the tools that I need to start up front.

“My team has worked hard to make the cars comfortable to drive," continued Lia. “When a driver can get into a racecar and be comfortable, he will go good. I don’t care how good a driver is, if he isn’t comfortable, the car won’t be fast. I’ve been given a car every week that I’m really comfortable with. That has helped us qualify well and race well and we hope to continue doing that.”

The NASCAR Modified Series will be at the Riverhead Speedway (NY) on Saturday, August 7th. Donny Lia and his Lia Motorsports Inc. team are competing for the 2004 Championship in the NASCAR Featherlite Modified Series this season. For more information on the team, please contact Matthew Dillner at (704) 231–7613 and stay tuned for the redesign of DonnyLia.com.