FMS: Donny Lia North-South Shootout preview

Donny Lia Loads Up For North-South Shootout in Carolinas 18 Team Won Pole in 2003 Event, Aims For Victory This Year

HUNTINGTON, NY (November 2, 2004) -- Last season, after the engines had died down in the NASCAR Featherlite Modified Series and the only official event left was the season's banquet, a new race for the Modifieds was born. The North-South Shootout at Concord Motorsport Park (NC) gave teams from the NASCAR Modified Series, the Southern-based ASA/SMART Tour and anyone other drivers a chance to come together and race each other in a "Civil War" setting before packing it in for a long winter.

Donny Lia and the #18 Lia Motorsports, Inc. team towed down to North Carolina for the race last year and will be back again this season for the November 6th event this season.

Lia's 2003 race was a good one that had the potential to be even better. He won the pole position and battled up front early before getting together with eventual winner John Blewett. Lia finished 26th.

"Last year, we had a good car and had a good shot to win the race," said Lia. "I think that I needed a little more patience. I was racing too hard a little too early and I got together with another car."

The trip to the North-South Shootout gave Lia's team a boost last season.

"We had one pole in the Modified Series last year," said Lia. "We struggled in the second part of the season, so going down there and running well was a real boost for us heading into 2004."

Lia goes into this season's event with a pretty solid 2004 season behind him. He won the year-long Bud Pole award for the NASCAR Modified Series with four fast time honors, visited victory lane in the Modified Series race at Riverhead Raceway (NY) and also won a Race of Champions Modified feature at Thompson Speedway (CT). That particular victory earned him an guaranteed starting spot for this year's North-South Shootout.

Another victory before the season ends is what Lia and his team are looking for at Concord.

"I've got another year of experience since the last race," said Lia. "If definitely going to run that race hard. I won't be stupid, but I'm going down there to win. That is the only goal.

"I think that we have a good shot at going down there and winning the pole," said Lia. "To win the race would be pretty cool. There is a large crowd that gathers for this race with all kinds of people from everywhere. I'd like to give them a good show."

The tricky Concord tri-oval has a unique layout, but Lia adapted to it quickly on his first visit there.

"It's an awesome track, it's pretty different from anywhere that we run up here," said Lia. "It's very fast and very technical. I think that I picked up on it pretty quick last year and I got to be pretty comfortable there."

-donnylia.com