Lia Makes It Two In A Row With Thompson Win
Third Win of 2009
Thompson, CT – For the second race in a row and the third time this year Donny Lia earned a trip to Victory Lane with his NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour triumph Thursday night in the Budweiser 150 presented by New England Dodge Dealers at Thompson International Speedway.
Following a win last time out at Bristol Motor Speedway on Aug. 19, Lia once again had a dominant car at Thompson. The Jericho, N.Y., native led three-different times Thursday night for 49 laps and got past Ted Christopher for the final time on Lap 140 after an intense back-and-fourth battle to earn his third win of the season.
Lia, the 2007 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion, also won this year at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, site of the next race on the schedule. Thursday’s win was the 14th of his career overall, and his second at Thompson. Earlier in the day he also earned his 14th career Coors Light Pole Award.
Christopher, who led a race-high 50 laps, settled for a second-place finish and extended his season points lead to 34 on Todd Szegedy, who crossed the line third Thursday night. Rowan Pennink and Keith Rocco rounded out the top five.
Eric Beers, Eric Berndt, Bobby Grigas III, Glen Reen and Erick Rudolph brought home the top 10.
With the win, Lia moved past Ryan Preece in the season standings and is now 72 points behind Christopher. Preece led eight laps early in the race Thursday, but suffered two spins and had to settle for 18th place.
The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will hold its 10th race of the 2009 campaign at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Saturday, Sept. 19.
Sources: Jason Cunningham/NASCAR PR
NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour-Budweiser 150 pres. by New England Dodge Dealers Unofficial Results
Thursday
At Thompson International Speedway
Thompson, Conn.
Lap length: 0.625 miles
(Start position in parentheses)
1. (9) Donny Lia, Jericho, N.Y., Dodge, 150 laps, 78.966 mph, $7,900.
2. (1) Ted Christopher, Plainville, Conn., Chevrolet, 150, $4,000.
3. (14) Todd Szegedy, Ridgefield, Conn., Ford, 150, $2,900.
4. (13) Rowan Pennink, Huntingdon Valley, Pa., Chevrolet, 150, $2,600.
5. (11) Keith Rocco, Wallingford, Conn., Chevrolet, 150, $2,300.
6. (27) Eric Beers, Northampton, Pa., Chevrolet, 150, $2,800.
7. (12) Eric Berndt, Cromwell, Conn., Chevrolet, 150, $1,450.
8. (21) Bobby Grigas, III, Marshfield, Mass., Chevrolet, 150, $1,725.
9. (5) Glen Reen, Wilbraham, Mass., Chevrolet, 150, $2,350.
10. (8) Erick Rudolph, Ransomville, N.Y., Chevrolet, 150, $1,550.
11. (7) Richard Savary, Canton, Mass., Chevrolet, 150, $1,525.
12. (20) Jamie Tomaino, Howell, N.J., Chevrolet, 150, $1,488.
13. (17) Chris Pasteryak, Lisbon, Conn., Chevrolet, 150, $1,575.
14. (3) Glenn Tyler, Hampton Bays, N.Y., Chevrolet, 150, $1,450.
15. (18) Andy Seuss, Hampstead, N.H., Chevrolet, 150, $1,036.
16. (28) Joe Hartmann, Calverton, N.Y., Chevrolet, 150, $1,000.
17. (10) Ed Flemke, Jr., Southington, Conn., Chevrolet, 150, $1,475.
18. (4) Ryan Preece, Berlin, Conn., Chevrolet, 149, $1,450.
19. (32) Ken Heagy, Calverton, N.Y., Chevrolet, 147, $1,325.
20. (29) Eric Goodale, Riverhead, N.Y., Chevrolet, 132, accident, $1,600.
21. (22) Woody Pitkat, Stafford, Conn., Chevrolet, 132, $1,375.
22. (31) Gary McDonald, Ronkonkoma, N.Y., Chevrolet, 124, $850.
23. (30) Jake Marosz, Middletown, Conn., Chevrolet, 120, $1,225.
24. (23) Tony Ferrante, Jr., New Hyde Park, N.Y., Chevrolet, 107, accident, $800.
25. (26) James Civali, Meriden, Conn., Pontiac, 107, carburetor, $1,190.
26. (16) Tim Arre, Toms River, N.J., Chevrolet, 98, suspension, $750.
27. (19) Rob Summers, Vernon, Conn., Chevrolet, 92, accident, $750.
28. (6) Renee Dupuis, Glastonbury, Conn., Chevrolet, 92, accident, $750.
29. (15) Kevin Goodale, Riverhead, N.Y., Chevrolet, 92, accident, $1,150.
30. (24) Johnny Bush, Huntington Station, N.Y., Chevrolet, 91, accident, $1,150.
31. (25) Doug Coby, Milford, Conn., Chevrolet, 77, clutch, $1,150.
32. (2) Mike Stefanik, Coventry, R.I., Pontiac, 32, accident, $1,150.
33. (33) Wade Cole, Riverton, Conn., Chevrolet, 26, axle, $1,150.
Race Statistics
Time of Race: 1 hour 11 minutes 14 seconds
Margin of Victory: 0.573 seconds
Fastest Qualifier: D.Lia (119.847 mph, 18.774 seconds)
Caution Flags: 7 for 35 laps.
Lead Changes: 11 among 5 drivers.
Lap Leaders: T. Christopher 1-29; R. Preece 30-37; T. Christopher 38-47; D. Lia 48-73; E. Berndt 74-91; D. Lia 92-103; T. Christopher 104-111; T. Szegedy 112; T. Szegedy 113; T. Szegedy 114-136; T. Christopher 137-139; D. Lia 140-150.
Standings: 1. T. Christopher, 1432; 2. T. Szegedy, 1398; 3. D. Lia, 1360; 4. R. Preece, 1339; 5. R. Pennink, 1288; 6. E. Beers, 1190; 7. W. Pitkat, 1172; 8. E. Flemke,Jr., 1146; 9. C. Pasteryak, 1132; 10. M. Stefanik, 1070.