CHAMPIONS PROFILE: Lia Captures Second Modified Crown
Earns Second Title In “Mystic Missile”
Two seasons, 29 races, five poles, 18 top fives, 24 top 10s, 10 wins, two championships.
That’s the line that the pairing of driver Donny Lia and owner Bob Garbarino has produced in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour.
Prior to the 2007 season, Lia had won a respectable five races and recorded 30 top-10 finishes with 10 poles in 81 starts as a driver and owner of his own team. Garbarino had numerous wins while fielding top-notch teams for four decades. Neither had a Whelen Modified Tour championship to their credit, however.
But 2007 was a dominant run for the first-year pairing. The “Mystic Missile” team had clinched the title with one race remaining on the schedule, and cruised to a 180-point championship margin.
BEHIND THE SCENES OF A CHAMPIONSHIP
CHAMPION CAR OWNER PROFILE: Bob Garbarino
CHAMPION CREW CHIEF PROFILE: Bob Mueller
After a year apart, Lia and Garbarino rejoined forces for 2009, but it was a completely different title quest from two years prior. Lia took the points lead for the first time at the next-to-last race of the season and needed a strong finish in the finale to clinch.
“You have those championships that you grab a hold of and run away with and it’s everybody else’s job to take it away from you, then you’ve got those championships where you’re behind a little bit and you’re looking to take it away from somebody else,” Lia said. “In 2007 I think people were looking to take it away from us and it was our championship to lose, and this year it was other people’s championships to win and we were looking to take it away from them.
“In both instances we were able to reach our goal and win the championship,” Lia said. “When you ask, ‘What are champions made of,” I think my crew and everybody in the whole Mystic Missile deal are real champions now because we’ve succeeded in both scenarios.”
To say Lia had to battle back is not to diminish the start to his season, however. The Long Island driver finished third in the opener at Thompson (Conn.) International Speedway and won the fourth race of the year at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. It just so happened that defending champion Ted Christopher had won the first two races of the year, Todd Szegedy was a consistent top-10 finisher and Ryan Preece won back-to-back races to start the month of August. Following the eighth race of the season, Lia was fourth in the standings, 92 points out of first.
The “Mystic Missile” finished with a torrent, however. Lia won the ninth race of the year – the inaugural Whelen Modified event at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway – and followed that with another win at Thompson. With four races left, he was up to second in points, just 48 behind Christopher.
What happened next was perhaps the key to the season. On qualifying day at New Hampshire in September, the No. 4 caught fire in practice. Lia was unable to qualify, and the car had to head back to the team’s shop in Mystic, Conn., for major repair. With a day off between qualifying and the race, the team was able to completely re-wire the race car, and Lia was able to start at the rear of the field with a provisional.
But their troubles didn’t end there. Lia was twice caught up in accidents, and took blame for starting another, which had him two laps down in the race. New Hampshire is a track that Lia excels at, however, and he was able to dart to the front thanks to a heavy foot and the lucky dog free pass. At the end of the day, the team had averted near disaster by finishing second, and the title chase was full speed ahead.
“Everybody worked hard to put the car back together, it was an awesome effort by all the guys,” Lia said. “There were so many factors – the fire and the wrecks – that could have taken a good top-three finish away from us. And I think that’s what makes a champion, to be able to battle back from diversity and fight to do your best.”
An eighth place finish at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway, coupled with Christopher’s engine troubles, cut the points lead to just one point. Lia’s fourth win of the year the next time out at Stafford (Conn.) Motor Speedway then vaulted him into the championship lead for the first time.
It came down to the last race of the season, and a 26-point lead on Preece. It shaped up to be a true showdown as Lia and Preece started side-by-side on the front row with qualifying rained out. The pair ran up front throughout the day, at times contended for the lead, but in the end Christopher was able to take the checkered flag. Preece finished second, but another strong run from Lia put him across the line fourth and Preece was not able to make up enough points. The result was Lia’s second title in three years.
A LOOK BACK
Lia Reclaims Whelen Modified Crown
Lia Takes Stafford Win, Points Lead
Lia Makes It Two In A Row
Lia Storms To Win
Lia Wins A Wild One
Lia Returns To Whelen Modifieds
In between the 2007 and 2009 titles, Lia had an opportunity to advance his racing by competing in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. While he had some success, including a win at Mansfield (Ohio) Motorsports Park, Lia did not find the right fit to return to the series this year, which resulted in a reunification with Garbarino in the Whelen Modified Tour.
“I’m glad I did it, and I’d do it again. It’s just a matter of being in the right situation with the right opportunity,” Lia said. “It was a great experience, and was a step in the right direction as far as reaching that goal [I have] of being able to run these race cars and actually make a living doing it.”
While he does not rule out a return to one of NASCAR’s national series at some point if the right opportunity came along, Lia was very happy to return to the No. 4 team for another title run in 2009.
“At the end of the day, I wanted to drive a Modified again, and to drive the 4 car if I could,” Lia said. “I knew driving the 4 car was a great situation for me, and a good opportunity to go win our second championship.”
Eight months later, it all fell into place, and now Lia, Garbarino and the rest of the “Mystic Missile” team will be recognized for their accomplishments this week. The NASCAR Touring Series Awards Gala will be held on Saturday, Nov. 14 in Concord, N.C.
Sources: Jason Cunningham/NASCAR WMT PR