Backstretch Motorsports

MANSFIELD, Ohio - Rookie driver Donny Lia battled his way through the field taking the lead on the final lap to win Saturday’s NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Ohio 250 at Mansfield Motorsports Park.

Lia, NASCAR’s 2007 Whelen Modified Tour champion, caught and passed leader David Starr in the second turn of the 250th lap around the 0.5-mile oval.

Lia, Starr and 2006 series champion Todd Bodine ran side-by-side down the backstretch before Lia pulled his Chevrolet ahead to score his first career victory in the 27-year-old Long Island, N.Y. competitor’s eighth series start.

He edged Starr, whose Toyota had held the lead since the 80th lap, by 0.241 seconds. He became the first rookie driver to win on the circuit since August 2003 when now NASCAR Sprint Cup Series competitor Carl Edwards won in Nashville.

Lia, who averaged 62.517 mph for the 250-lap, 125-mile distance, became the 10th driver - and first since 2006 - to lead only the final lap of the race. Seven drivers exchanged the lead six times as 15 caution periods consumed 80 laps.

Lia won $45,500 from $513,636 in posted awards.

“I used everything I had there at the end and I couldn’t have driven it any harder,” said Lia, who started 28th - furthest back of any Mansfield winner. “We just got them on the restarts and got them where we had to get them. We just did everything right today, my crew (and) everybody.”

Terry Cook finished fourth behind Starr and Bodine with Mike Skinner taking the fifth position. Shelby Howard, Jack Sprague, Johnny Benson, Sean Murphy and Stacy Compton completed the top 10.

All but one driver in the 36-truck field finished the race - 29 of them on the lead lap.

Bodine assumed the championship lead by eight points over Rick Crawford as previous leader Ron Hornaday Jr. was involved in a lap 47 accident and spent most of the race behind pit wall as his crew repaired the defending series champion’s Chevrolet. Hornaday was credited with a 35th-place finish, 105 laps behind the winner.

Pole starter Benson headed the race’s first 45 laps before being passed by Hornaday, whose advantage lasted less than two circuits before his Turn 4 accident. Skinner, Howard and Dennis Setzer led over the next 33 laps before Starr - who’d pitted for fuel early - cycled back to the front and remained there through multiple restarts.

Bodine made several attempts to pass Starr on late race restarts but was unable to make the challenges stick. Lia, who ran as far back as 23rd, fought his way into the top five on lap 196, took third on lap 210 and dispatched Bodine’s Toyota at lap 228.

The event’s final caution, for Brendan Gaughan’s spin in Turn 2, proved to be pivotal as it erased Starr’s five truck-length lead thus setting up the final lap dramatics.

“It was just good short-track racing,” said Starr, who was bidding to 52-race non-winning streak dating to 2006. “I guess I left a hole open and he got into me in the left rear. We just drove into Turn 3 on a prayer. He (Lia) had the preferred line.”

NASCAR Race Number 7
Unofficial Race Results for the Ohio 250 - Saturday, May 24, 2008
Mansfield Motorsports Park - Mansfield, OH - .5 Mile Paved
Total Race Length - 250 Laps - 125 Miles - Purse: $513,636

Leader
Fin Str Trk Driver Team Laps Pts Bns Total Award Status Times Laps
1 28 71 Donny Lia # NationRides.com/AutismSpeaks.org 250 190 5 $45,500 Running 1 1
2 3 11 David Starr Pit-Now.com Toyota 250 180 10 $37,525 Running 1 170
3 14 30 Todd Bodine Lumber Liquidators Toyota 250 165 $24,685 Running
4 7 60 Terry Cook Wyler.com Toyota 250 160 $17,585 Running
5 2 5 Mike Skinner Toyota Tundra Toyota 250 160 5 $14,110 Running 1 4
6 9 13 Shelby Howard Bobcat Chevrolet 250 155 5 $11,560 Running 1 21
7 10 2 Jack Sprague American Commercial Lines Chevrolet 250 146 $11,260 Running
8 1 23 Johnny Benson Brangus Toyota 250 147 5 $13,110 Running 1 45
9 17 07 Sean Murphy Akzo Nobel/Spectrum Metal Finishing 250 138 $9,710 Running
10 25 4 Stacy Compton Spitzer Dodge Dodge 250 134 $12,560 Running
11 15 99 Erik Darnell Northern Tool + Equipment Ford 250 130 $11,635 Running
12 16 88 Matt Crafton Menards/Ideal Door Chevrolet 250 127 $10,910 Running
13 27 14 Rick Crawford Power Stroke Diesel by International 250 124 $11,160 Running
14 4 7 Andy Lally # TRG Motorsports/Adobe Road Winery 250 121 $10,810 Running
15 6 22 Scott Speed # Red Bull Toyota 250 118 $11,885 Running
16 5 6 Colin Braun # Con-way Freight Ford 250 115 $10,860 Running
17 19 59 Ted Musgrave Team ASE/Harris Trucking Toyota 250 112 $10,610 Running
18 26 9 Justin Marks # Construct Corps Toyota 250 109 $10,560 Running
19 34 40 Chad Chaffin Westerman Companies Chevrolet 250 106 $10,510 Running
20 22 46 Landon Cassill GoDaddy.com Chevrolet 250 103 $9,885 Running
21 11 51 Shane Sieg Miccosukee Resorts/NOS Energy 250 100 $9,160 Running
22 18 21 Keven Wood Air Force Ford 250 97 $8,110 Running
23 13 12 Scotty Crockett Dex Imaging/MetTel Chevrolet 250 94 $8,085 Running
24 33 8 Chad McCumbee Malcolmson Construction Chevrolet 250 91 $8,060 Running
25 31 16 Brian Scott # Albertsons Chevrolet 250 88 $7,985 Running
26 8 15 Marc Mitchell # Hyprene - Ergon Toyota 250 85 $7,960 Running
27 23 09 John Wes Townley Zaxby’s Ford 250 82 $7,935 Running
28 32 37 Gary St. Amant HTS Mulch Products Chevrolet 250 0 $7,910 Running
29 30 08 Jason White GunBroker.com Dodge 250 76 $7,860 Running
30 20 10 Brendan Gaughan International MAXX FORCE Diesel 249 73 $7,835 Running
31 21 66 Benny Gordon Samuel Ford 248 70 $7,485 Running
32 29 63 Jack Smith Dave Porter Truck Sales Ford 246 67 $7,460 Running
33 35 20 Scott Lagasse Nicholson Group Ford 231 64 $7,435 Running
34 24 18 Dennis Setzer BHR-VA Dodge 205 66 5 $7,410 Overheating 1 8
35 12 33 Ron Hornaday Jr. Camping World Chevrolet 145 63 5 $7,385 Running 1 1
36 36 42 Tim Cowen Cowen Truck Line Ford 140 55 $7,360 Overheating
Race Comments: Before an estimated crowd of 17,500 - Donny Lia won the Ohio 250 at Mansfield Motorsports Park, his career-first NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series victory. Prior to the green flag, the following driver(s) dropped to the rear of the field for the reason(s) indicated: #40 Chaffin (Unapproved impound adjustments).
Failed to Qualify: N/A
Time of Race: 1 Hrs, 59 Mins, 58 Secs. Average Speed: 62.517 MPH Margin of Victory: 0.241 Seconds
Caution Flags: 15 for 80 laps: Laps: 9-12 (#30 spun turn 2); 38-43 (#20 accident turn 3); 48-53 (#6,33 accident turn 4); 70-76 (#23 spun turn 4); 81-85 (#11 accident turn 2); 117-124 (#14 spun backstretch); 137-143 (#42 spun turn 3); 153-159 (#10,22 spun turn 2); 168-172 (#10,20,63 accident turn 2); 188-191 (Debris); 199-202 (Debris); 206-209 (Fluid on track); 213-217 (#21,51 spun turn 1); 223-226 (#16 spun turn 1); 240-243 (#10 spun turn 1).
Lead Changes: 6 among 7 drivers: J. Benson 1-45; R. Hornaday Jr. 46; M. Skinner 47-50; S. Howard 51-71; D. Setzer 72-79; D. Starr 80-249; D. Lia # 250;
Top 10 Driver Points: (1) T. Bodine 1,001;(2) R. Crawford 993;(3) M. Crafton 956;(4) J. Benson 943;(5) R. Hornaday Jr. 937;(6) T. Cook 920;(7) M. Skinner 918;(8) D. Starr 913;(9) E. Darnell 901;(10) C. Mccumbee 899.
Featherlite Most Improved Driver Award : Donny Lia, #71 (33 Places) Keystone Light Pole Award : Johnny Benson, #23 (110.004 mph)
Mahle Clevite Engine Builder of the Race : David Starr, #11 Mobil1 Command Performance Driver of the Race : Donny Lia, #71
Raybestos Rookie of the Race Award : Donny Lia, #71 Sunoco Diamond Performance : Donny Lia, #71
Wix Filters Lap Leader Award : David Starr, #11 (170 Laps)
Next Race: May. 30, 2008 - Dover International Speedway