Darlington: Donny Lia preview

Donny Lia Looks to Avoid the Darlington Stripe

For years Darlington Raceway has been a monument to some of the greatest racing in NASCAR's history. This Saturday night, the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series returns to the track "Too Tough to Tame" after a six-year absence.

Donny Lia and the SS Green Light team are coming off their best finish of the season; a twelfth last week at Nashville Superspeedway and the New York native hopes to build on last weeks finish at one of the most historic tracks in all of NASCAR racing.

The Too Tough to Tame 200 is the sixth race in a nine-week summer stretch that tests the strength of the teams in the NCWTS. The SS Green Light team knows that with a short week after Darlington, that this race is critical to the success for the rest of the season. "It doesn't get much tougher than Darlington and Bristol just four days apart," said General Manager Bobby Dotter. "These two tracks have a history of tearing up a lot of equipment and if we can come out of these races without tearing up too much stuff we should be in good shape for the stretch run."

"Donny had a good run last week, the guys in the shop are working hard so I'm optimistic we can back-up last weeks finish with a top-ten at Darlington," Dotter added.

Only seven of the drivers in the NCWTS have raced at Darlington in the past so like most of the field, the Too Tough To Tame 200 will be Lia's first trip to the egg-shaped oval. "I know the track is fast, but just how fast we won't know until we get there, they repaved the track just a few years ago and there should be a lot of grip," Lia said. "Just like last week we have the goal of a solid lead-lap finish."

Known for it's tough racing, Darlington Raceway has left many drivers with the famed "Darlington Stripe" on the right sides of their racecars. Lia knows Darlington can bite you in a hurry. "I'll be racing the track. It's a tough place and you need to respect it."

"We gained some momentum last week and we need to keep building upon that," he continued. "I'm hoping to contend for a top-ten this week."

This will be Lia's eleventh start of the 2010 season for the SS Green Light team and will mark his 35th career start in the NCWTS.

-source: ssglr