New Crew Chief to Lead Lia, Sypher Team

By admin March 28, 2016 NASCAR WMT, Thompson

Donny Lia of Jericho, NY will have a new crew chief and crew members this season. 2003 champion Don Barker has joined the team as Lia’s crew chief. Barker worked with Mystic Missile Racing last year as Todd Szegedy’s crew chief.

“We have a crew chief change, which is the biggest change you can make,” Lia said. “So we have a little bit of learning to do about each other and then the guys working together too ’cause we have some personnel changes just the crew guys. So it’s just one of them deals it’s gonna take a little time to get rolling, but today was a good day to start. … Our main goal right now is to just get started good and then see where it takes us from there.”

The two-time NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion was optimistic after testing at Thompson (CT) Speedway Motorsports Park Saturday afternoon.

“(Don Barker) brings a different perspective so to speak on the whole deal, being just an older veteran, has a lot of experience, and more of a father figure almost type that maybe the team needed. Somebody to lean on a little bit so just a different aspect, different way of doing things and today was good hopefully it’s a sign of moving along.“

“I think we’re gonna work well together, really see eye to eye on a lot of things. … Just excited, excited to have him with us and excited to have a few new crew guys that are here. It’s definitely a fun time and just can’t wait to get to the Icebreaker in the next couple of weeks.”

Lia had two wins, 20 top fives, and 32 top tens in 56 starts since 2012 with Danny Laferriere.

“Danny did an awesome job always did for me the last few years and there was nothing about anything with Danny and how he did it. We did awesome together but as you go along everybody knows you’re always going to have some change and we felt it was time for a change.”

The LFR Chassis team has grown during the offseason. Bobby Santos, III and the Tinio No. 44 are using the car and LFR has opened a shop in Stafford.

“Rob Fuller’s always trying to push along and advance everything and now having more cars on the tour is just gonna be a big advantage for everybody. Somebody for people to talk to and go to just to see what’s working for them and what’s working for us and whatnot. It can only help and the fact that they have a shop up here now is gonna be a big help so I gotta hand it to Rob and LFR and what he’s done because last year was a little tough for us.”

Doug Coby won his third championship last year with LFR. Coby led the series with seven wins, 11 top fives, 12 top tens, and six poles in 15 races.

“We had some success but nothing like the 2 car had. The 2 car had tremendous success and I think that just shows what the cars are capable of and for us it’s just a matter of finding that combination that we need to close that gap between us and what the 2 car’s been able to do. Now with the 44 running, we might be able to learn more. As long as everybody works good together, the sky’s the limit.”

Lia said he is excited for “new experiences” on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour. He has never raced at Oswego (NY) Speedway, which hosts its first race since 1989. Seekonk (MA) Speedway returns to the schedule after an 11-year hiatus.

Lia plans to attend the Tri-Track Open Modified Series Open Wheel Wednesday race June 29. It is important for Lia to race there before the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race September 10, the AntyimeRealty.com 150. He last raced at Seekonk in 2006. Lia may add additional races to his schedule.

“I’m sure the racetrack’s a little bit different and as far as just the surface aging and wearing a little bit more. The car’s different than what I’ve raced there in the past. The key for us is just going there for the $10,000 to win race and learn a little bit as much as we can. It’s not gonna be everything. Not everything is going to translate over to the tour, different tires and stuff but just go there and learn as much as we can and get some laps for me there again will be good. I’m not worried about it. I’ve always gone well there.”

Lia won the pole and finished second in his Seekonk debut to Chuck Hossfeld in 2004. He won the inaugural Open Wheel Wednesday race in 2005 and finished tenth in the most recent NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race there in 2005.

“It’s just a track that lends itself to me for some reason just kind of a circular deal and I seem to run real good on the circle tracks. I like to call ’em tracks where there’s not much straightaway and you’re just turning all the time. Waterford’s been good to me, Seekonk was I always went good there, and Riverhead I’ve been good at …  I’m looking forward to going back there I think we won’t miss a beat.”

Lia is not concerned with the loss of two full-time cars from the last year’s championship three. Ryan Preece and Woody Pitkat are running part-time this season.

“I know there’s some cars that aren’t here anymore but at the end of the day, it’s gonna be the same five to 10 cars that are gonna be going for the win every week …. The competition will always be there.

“… It will still be very competitive regardless of the number of cars out there or who’s here, who’s not. Still
gonna be always 10, roughly 10 cars any given week that can go out there and win a race. That’s what I love about this series it’s just very, very competitive. Everybody’s got very similar stuff and it just makes the racing very, very tight and it makes it where you need to be on your game and your car needs to be perfect to win.”

Riverhead (NY) Raceway was purchased by Eddie and Connie Partridge last August from Barbara and Jim Cromarty. It secured the future of the historic quarter-mile oval that has operated for 65 years and hosts two NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour races annually.

“Eddie and Connie, they’re racers and I know they’re only gonna do things that are gonna make that place better and more exciting and more promotion and you know with Eddie that the track will be there for a long, long time to come. So that’s now just one less thing to worry about as far as long another racetrack.

“It’s really just a breath of fresh air to see Eddie go in there as the owner and I know they’re making changes over there and fixing things up. So it’s just gonna be a totally different atmosphere and a different experience when we go back to Riverhead next time ’cause I just know what Eddie’s capable of and his love for racing and Modifieds, just Modifieds in general. Definitely, definitely looking forward to going to Riverhead. I don’t know the last time I can say I was looking forward to going to Riverhead, but looking forward to going there and just seeing the changes that Eddie’s been able to make.”

“I just want to thank Mark Sypher my car owner for having us again putting his faith in us and thank Bardahl for being on the car again and just thank all the guys that came along to help us out this year. It’s gonna be a good year. I’m really looking forward to it.”

Lia finished seventh in points with six top fives, nine top tens in 15 starts. The Sypher Construction/Bardahl team reeled off six consecutive top ten finishes to close the season.

“Momentum and the guys being together. We had a fairly new team last year and now we have another fairly new team now this year with a crew chief change so a few new guys too so it’s just one of them deals where it takes time to kind of get the momentum going on your side and last year was as big task because my crew chief and the guys had to put new cars together and pretty much put a whole team together in a short period of time and they did an awesome job. So the beginning of the year was a lot of learning and the second half was some good finishes and now with a crew chief change and a couple of new guys I kind of just have to do it all over again.”

Sources: Nicholas Teto/YankeeRacer.com
Racing-Reference.info