Tooner
03-10-2008, 05:03 PM
Lia Lands Top-20 in First Visit to Atlanta
Hampton, Ga. (March 10, 2008) – Donny Lia set out to build momentum on Friday night at Atlanta Motor Speedway (AMS) and the 2007 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Champion did just that after he tied his career-best NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series finish in only his second start for TRG Motorsports, under the lights, at the 1.54-mile oval. Lia drove his way to a top-20 finish in the 130-lap American Commercial Lines 200 after battling a loose truck all night.
Lia entered the event on Friday with an unsponsored truck, but rather than leave the truck bare, the 29-year-old New York-native opted to help raise awareness for the need for a cure for Multiple Sclerosis (MS). Lia’s No. 71 TRG Motorsports Chevrolet carried the “Say I Won’t…Beat MS” signage at AMS. Lia’s efforts were recognized by the SPEED Channel, who featured Lia and the TRG team as part of their on-air driver spotlight before the green flag flew.
When Lia took the green flag for the start of the race, he wasted no time working his way through the field from his 25th-place starting spot. Lia picked up three spots in the first 20 laps. “You’re two-tenths faster than the two trucks in front of you,” said General Manager, Marty Gaunt, just before the event’s first caution flew on lap 20 for a single truck wreck on the frontstretch. Crew Chief Jason Miller called Lia to pit road for four tires, fuel, and an air pressure adjustment, returning their Raybestos Rookie of the Year contender to the track in 18th place.
When the race resumed, Lia was “tight in the center and loose off”, a condition he battled until the next caution on lap 42. Lia hit pit road for fuel and a wedge adjustment, returning to the track in 14th spot. On the restart, Lia became extremely loose and slid to 22nd before falling one lap down on lap 78. As the leaders hit pit road just ten laps later, Lia stayed out and moved to as high as seventh before being forced to hit pit road for fuel. Lia dove to pit road under green flag conditions around lap 95 for four tires, fuel, and air pressure and track bar adjustments. Lia returned to the track 22nd, but fell another lap down as everything cycled out.
With fresh tires, Lia ran his fastest lap of the night on lap 97 despite having a loose truck. Just 15 laps later, NASCAR displayed the caution flag for rain. The field ran under the yellow flag for three laps until it was lifted and the race returned to green flag competition. The green didn’t remain out long as the rain picked up and NASCAR threw the red flag on lap 121. The red flag was lifted 10 minutes later, setting up a three-lap shootout to the checkered flag. Lia was up on the wheel for the final three laps, capturing a 20th place finish for his TRG team.
“We were loose all night,” said Lia after the race. “But I think we learned a lot. We picked up six spots from our last race, and if we can keep doing that, we’ll be in good shape in just a few races. Our goal here was to build momentum and I think we accomplished that with our top-20 run. We’re going to be testing at Martinsville in a few days, and I think that is going to help our entire program. All in all, to come out of a high-speed track like Atlanta with a top-20 finish and all the fenders on our truck is quite an accomplishment. Now I’m really looking forward to going to Martinsville.”
Lia and the No. 71 TRG Motorsports Chevrolet will hit the .526-mile oval of Martinsville Speedway for the Kroger 250 on Saturday, March 29th. The 250-lap race will begin at 3 p.m. ET. Live television coverage will be provided by the FOX with radio coverage coming to you live from MRN Radio.
Hampton, Ga. (March 10, 2008) – Donny Lia set out to build momentum on Friday night at Atlanta Motor Speedway (AMS) and the 2007 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Champion did just that after he tied his career-best NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series finish in only his second start for TRG Motorsports, under the lights, at the 1.54-mile oval. Lia drove his way to a top-20 finish in the 130-lap American Commercial Lines 200 after battling a loose truck all night.
Lia entered the event on Friday with an unsponsored truck, but rather than leave the truck bare, the 29-year-old New York-native opted to help raise awareness for the need for a cure for Multiple Sclerosis (MS). Lia’s No. 71 TRG Motorsports Chevrolet carried the “Say I Won’t…Beat MS” signage at AMS. Lia’s efforts were recognized by the SPEED Channel, who featured Lia and the TRG team as part of their on-air driver spotlight before the green flag flew.
When Lia took the green flag for the start of the race, he wasted no time working his way through the field from his 25th-place starting spot. Lia picked up three spots in the first 20 laps. “You’re two-tenths faster than the two trucks in front of you,” said General Manager, Marty Gaunt, just before the event’s first caution flew on lap 20 for a single truck wreck on the frontstretch. Crew Chief Jason Miller called Lia to pit road for four tires, fuel, and an air pressure adjustment, returning their Raybestos Rookie of the Year contender to the track in 18th place.
When the race resumed, Lia was “tight in the center and loose off”, a condition he battled until the next caution on lap 42. Lia hit pit road for fuel and a wedge adjustment, returning to the track in 14th spot. On the restart, Lia became extremely loose and slid to 22nd before falling one lap down on lap 78. As the leaders hit pit road just ten laps later, Lia stayed out and moved to as high as seventh before being forced to hit pit road for fuel. Lia dove to pit road under green flag conditions around lap 95 for four tires, fuel, and air pressure and track bar adjustments. Lia returned to the track 22nd, but fell another lap down as everything cycled out.
With fresh tires, Lia ran his fastest lap of the night on lap 97 despite having a loose truck. Just 15 laps later, NASCAR displayed the caution flag for rain. The field ran under the yellow flag for three laps until it was lifted and the race returned to green flag competition. The green didn’t remain out long as the rain picked up and NASCAR threw the red flag on lap 121. The red flag was lifted 10 minutes later, setting up a three-lap shootout to the checkered flag. Lia was up on the wheel for the final three laps, capturing a 20th place finish for his TRG team.
“We were loose all night,” said Lia after the race. “But I think we learned a lot. We picked up six spots from our last race, and if we can keep doing that, we’ll be in good shape in just a few races. Our goal here was to build momentum and I think we accomplished that with our top-20 run. We’re going to be testing at Martinsville in a few days, and I think that is going to help our entire program. All in all, to come out of a high-speed track like Atlanta with a top-20 finish and all the fenders on our truck is quite an accomplishment. Now I’m really looking forward to going to Martinsville.”
Lia and the No. 71 TRG Motorsports Chevrolet will hit the .526-mile oval of Martinsville Speedway for the Kroger 250 on Saturday, March 29th. The 250-lap race will begin at 3 p.m. ET. Live television coverage will be provided by the FOX with radio coverage coming to you live from MRN Radio.