Donny Lia
Encyclopedia
Donny Lia is an American race car driver. He won the 2007 & 2009 NASCAR
Whelen Modified Tour
championship. He also won the Race of Champions Modified Tour races in 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007. He has raced in the ARCA RE/MAX Series
and the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and the NASCAR Nationwide Series.
In 1999, Lia began racing a Legends car at Wall Stadium (Wall, New Jersey). He won several times including the track's biggest event, the prestigious Turkey Derby. In 2000, Lia continued racing his Legends car with success all over the eastern United States. He competed in the NASCAR Modified division at Riverhead Raceway
(Riverhead, New York
) and he won Rookie of the Year honors in 2001. He also made his NASCAR Modified Tour debut at Martinsville Speedway
. The 2002 season was spent gaining experience for a full-time move to the NASCAR Modified Tour in 2003.
He placed in the top ten in NASCAR Featherlite Modified Series (previous name of the Whelen Modified Tour) points in 2003 on his way to another Rookie of the Year award. He claimed five poles in 2004, more than any other competitor, which earned him the Bud Pole Award. He also competed on the Race of Champions Modified Tour, taking a big victory in the second-annual North-South Shootout at Concord Motorsport Park
in North Carolina. Lia continued racing his Modifieds in 2005, winning two Whelen Modified Tour races and finishing sixth in WMT season points.
In 2006, he was given his first opportunity to race in a stock car
. He practiced and qualified for the Nashville Superspeedway
event in the ARCA series. He won one event on the Whelen Modified Tour and two pole position
s, and he won three unsanctioned events. The next season, he won six Whelen Modified Tour races including the events at Martinsville
, 2 at Stafford
, Thompson
, New Hampshire
, and Riverhead
. He clinched the season points championship before the final race. On September 15, 2007 he made his first appearance in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
. He raced in the Bill Davis Racing
#36 Toyota at New Hampshire, finishing 20th.
He had been set for HT Motorsports
with the #59 Toyota in late 2007, and drove at Homestead hoping for a full 2008 season. However, sponsorship did not pan out, and instead joined The Racer's Group
for the 2008 season, driving Kevin Buckler's #71 The Racer's Group
Nationrides.com/Zurich North America Chevrolet Silverado
starting at Auto Club Speedway (he was ineligible to race at Daytona because of minimum driver proficiency rules). He had his first Top 10 finish at Martinsville Speedway
when he finished ninth. He had his first Craftsman Truck Series
win at Mansfield in the Ohio 250 on May 24, 2008 by nudging race leader David Starr
out of the way on the final lap, which is currently the only lap he has led in his Truck Series career. He is the first rookie to win a Truck Series event since Carl Edwards
in the 2003 season. Late in the season, he was released from TRG, and signed to drive for Randy Moss
for most of the rest of the season
Lia returned to the Mystic Missile this year in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, winning four times and winning his second championship. He also made his Nationwide debut at Lowe's Motor Speedway, but finished last in the #07 SK Motorsports Toyota Camry
. He will drive a part-time schedule in the #07 Chevrolet Silverado
for SS-Green Light Racing in the Truck Series in 2010.
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
Whelen Modified Tour
Whelen Modified Tour
The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour is a stock car racing series owned and operated by NASCAR in the Modified division. The Modified division is NASCAR's oldest division, and its one of two open-wheeled divisions...
championship. He also won the Race of Champions Modified Tour races in 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007. He has raced in the ARCA RE/MAX Series
ARCA RE/MAX Series
-History:The series started as a local touring group. Led by John Marcum, the Midwest Association for Race Cars was formed with drivers like Iggy Katona and Nelson Stacy being early drivers.The series became a part of the Daytona Speedweeks in 1964...
and the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and the NASCAR Nationwide Series.
Racing career
Before he began his racing career, Lia competed in computer racing games online against competitors all over the world. He credits gaming for helping develop his interest in motorsports and for improving his reflexes and his hand-eye coordination.In 1999, Lia began racing a Legends car at Wall Stadium (Wall, New Jersey). He won several times including the track's biggest event, the prestigious Turkey Derby. In 2000, Lia continued racing his Legends car with success all over the eastern United States. He competed in the NASCAR Modified division at Riverhead Raceway
Riverhead Raceway
Riverhead Raceway is a quarter-mile oval race track with a Figure 8 course, located in Riverhead, New York. It is the only auto racing venue on Long Island since Westhampton Raceway closed down in 2003...
(Riverhead, New York
Riverhead (town), New York
The town of Riverhead is in Suffolk County, New York, on the north shore of Long Island. The population was 33,506 at the 2010 census. The name signifies that the mouth of the Peconic River is in this town...
) and he won Rookie of the Year honors in 2001. He also made his NASCAR Modified Tour debut at Martinsville Speedway
Martinsville Speedway
Martinsville Speedway is an International Speedway Corporation-owned NASCAR stock car racing track located in Henry County, near Ridgeway, Virginia, just to the south of Martinsville. At in length, it is the shortest track in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. The track was also one of the first paved...
. The 2002 season was spent gaining experience for a full-time move to the NASCAR Modified Tour in 2003.
He placed in the top ten in NASCAR Featherlite Modified Series (previous name of the Whelen Modified Tour) points in 2003 on his way to another Rookie of the Year award. He claimed five poles in 2004, more than any other competitor, which earned him the Bud Pole Award. He also competed on the Race of Champions Modified Tour, taking a big victory in the second-annual North-South Shootout at Concord Motorsport Park
Concord Motorsport Park
Concord Speedway is a motorsports facility located in the town of Midland, North Carolina, southeast of Concord, North Carolina. The track held twelve NASCAR Grand National events between 1956 and 1964.-History:...
in North Carolina. Lia continued racing his Modifieds in 2005, winning two Whelen Modified Tour races and finishing sixth in WMT season points.
In 2006, he was given his first opportunity to race in a stock car
Stock car racing
Stock car racing is a form of automobile racing found mainly in the United States, Canada, New Zealand, Great Britain, Brazil and Argentina. Traditionally, races are run on oval tracks measuring approximately in length...
. He practiced and qualified for the Nashville Superspeedway
Nashville Superspeedway
Nashville Superspeedway is a motor racing complex located in Gladeville, Tennessee , United States, about 30 miles southeast of Nashville. On August 2, 2011, it was announced that Nashville Superspeedway will not host any NASCAR events in 2012. It is a concrete oval track 1 1/3 miles in...
event in the ARCA series. He won one event on the Whelen Modified Tour and two pole position
Pole position
The term "pole position", as used in motorsports, comes from the horse racing term where the number one starter starts on the inside next to the inside pole. The term made its way, along with several other customs, to auto racing. In circuit motorsports, a driver has pole position when he or she...
s, and he won three unsanctioned events. The next season, he won six Whelen Modified Tour races including the events at Martinsville
Martinsville Speedway
Martinsville Speedway is an International Speedway Corporation-owned NASCAR stock car racing track located in Henry County, near Ridgeway, Virginia, just to the south of Martinsville. At in length, it is the shortest track in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. The track was also one of the first paved...
, 2 at Stafford
Stafford Motor Speedway
Stafford Motor Speedway is a semi-banked 1/2 mile paved oval located in Stafford Springs, Connecticut. It is part of the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series. It hosts four events on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour in 2010....
, Thompson
Thompson International Speedway
Thompson International Speedway in Thompson, Connecticut, USA, is a paved oval racetrack that was once known as the Indianapolis of the East. It was the first asphalt-paved racing oval track in the United States and is now under the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series banner...
, New Hampshire
New Hampshire International Speedway
New Hampshire Motor Speedway is a oval speedway located in Loudon, New Hampshire which has hosted NASCAR racing annually since the early 1990s, as well as an IndyCar weekend and the oldest motorcycle race in North America, the Loudon Classic...
, and Riverhead
Riverhead Raceway
Riverhead Raceway is a quarter-mile oval race track with a Figure 8 course, located in Riverhead, New York. It is the only auto racing venue on Long Island since Westhampton Raceway closed down in 2003...
. He clinched the season points championship before the final race. On September 15, 2007 he made his first appearance in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
Craftsman Truck Series
The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series is a pickup truck racing series owned and operated by the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing...
. He raced in the Bill Davis Racing
Bill Davis Racing
Bill Davis Racing was a racing team that participated in all three of NASCAR's top divisions until 2009.The team had run Toyota-branded stock cars and trucks in both the Camping World Truck Series and Sprint Cup Series since 2007. Dodge, Ford, and Pontiac previously backed the team...
#36 Toyota at New Hampshire, finishing 20th.
He had been set for HT Motorsports
HT Motorsports
HT Motorsports was an American truck racing team from Martinsville, Virginia owned by trucking company owner Jim Harris. It fielded entries for the nine years in the Camping World Truck Series before suspending operations early in 2010.-Truck #24 History:...
with the #59 Toyota in late 2007, and drove at Homestead hoping for a full 2008 season. However, sponsorship did not pan out, and instead joined The Racer's Group
The Racer's Group
The Racer's Group, or TRG, is a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Camping World Truck Series and Rolex Sports Car Series racing team located in Petaluma, California owned by Kevin Buckler and his wife Debra. In addition to stock car racing, TRG has competed professionally in road racing since 1995...
for the 2008 season, driving Kevin Buckler's #71 The Racer's Group
The Racer's Group
The Racer's Group, or TRG, is a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Camping World Truck Series and Rolex Sports Car Series racing team located in Petaluma, California owned by Kevin Buckler and his wife Debra. In addition to stock car racing, TRG has competed professionally in road racing since 1995...
Nationrides.com/Zurich North America Chevrolet Silverado
Chevrolet Silverado
The Chevrolet Silverado , is the latest line of full-size pickup trucks from General Motors.-History:...
starting at Auto Club Speedway (he was ineligible to race at Daytona because of minimum driver proficiency rules). He had his first Top 10 finish at Martinsville Speedway
Martinsville Speedway
Martinsville Speedway is an International Speedway Corporation-owned NASCAR stock car racing track located in Henry County, near Ridgeway, Virginia, just to the south of Martinsville. At in length, it is the shortest track in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. The track was also one of the first paved...
when he finished ninth. He had his first Craftsman Truck Series
Craftsman Truck Series
The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series is a pickup truck racing series owned and operated by the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing...
win at Mansfield in the Ohio 250 on May 24, 2008 by nudging race leader David Starr
David Starr
David Starr is an American stock car driver. He currently drives the #95 WRL General Contractors/TWD Drywall/B&D Electrical/Fenton Motor Group Ford Fusion for Leavine Fenton Racing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series part-time and the #81 Zachry Holdings, Inc. Toyota Tundra for SS-Green Light Racing...
out of the way on the final lap, which is currently the only lap he has led in his Truck Series career. He is the first rookie to win a Truck Series event since Carl Edwards
Carl Edwards
Carl Michael Edwards, II is a NASCAR driver. He currently drives the #99 Fastenal/Aflac Ford Fusion in the Sprint Cup Series and the #60 Ford in the Nationwide Series for Roush Fenway Racing...
in the 2003 season. Late in the season, he was released from TRG, and signed to drive for Randy Moss
Randy Moss
Randy Gene Moss is a former American football wide receiver. He was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the first round of the 1998 NFL Draft...
for most of the rest of the season
Lia returned to the Mystic Missile this year in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, winning four times and winning his second championship. He also made his Nationwide debut at Lowe's Motor Speedway, but finished last in the #07 SK Motorsports Toyota Camry
Toyota Camry
The Toyota Camry is a series of mid-size automobiles manufactured by Toyota since 1982, and sold in the majority of automotive markets throughout the world...
. He will drive a part-time schedule in the #07 Chevrolet Silverado
Chevrolet Silverado
The Chevrolet Silverado , is the latest line of full-size pickup trucks from General Motors.-History:...
for SS-Green Light Racing in the Truck Series in 2010.