http://www.trgmotorsports.comTRG Motorsports / #7 Andy Lally / #71 Donny Lia / Nascar Craftsman Truck SeriesThis file is an RSS 2.0 file, please see: http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss for more info.Wed, 30 Apr 2008 14:23:15 -0700en-usAndy Lally made his debut at the 1.5-mile oval of Kansas Speedway on Saturday, qualifying 24th and finishing 29th in the O’Reilly Auto Parts 250 after a crash took the three-time Rolex Grand Am Champion out of contention on lap 106 of the 167-lap event."We had a tough finish to what was shaping up to be a good day,” said Lally, who’s No. 7 TRG Motorsports Chevrolet was tight until the middle of the race.  “Butch and the crew were able to dial the truck in by the mid point in the race and we were strong on a long run and had a solid balance on the truck. I think our pace was a step forward from previous races and I know we could have been a top-15 truck today without a problem.”Wed, 30 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0700http://www.trgmotorsports.com/news/show.php?id=330http://www.trgmotorsports.com/news/show.php?id=330Coming off his career-best NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series performance (ninth) at Martinsville Speedway, Raybestos Rookie of the Year contender Donny Lia was excited to enter Kansas Speedway for the first time during Saturday afternoon’s O’Reilly Auto Parts 250.  Lia’s excitement continued after he took home 12th-place honors in his first visit to the 1.5-mile oval.The 2007 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Champion claimed his season-best qualifying effort when he drove the No. 71 AutismSpeaks.org/TRG Motorsports Chevrolet to a 13th-place starting spot after laying down a lap of 32.081 seconds at a speed of 168.324 miles per hour.  “We really put a good effort forth in qualifying,” said Lia, despite kissing the wall in practice and causing minor damage to the right front of his Chevrolet.  “Unfortunately one mistake that I did make is that I got into the fence a bit in practice and we lost about ¾ of the final practice session.  That kind of put us behind, but the guys did an awesome job of getting our truck put back together.  We were probably a little too tight in qualifying, but overall to qualify 13th and have a competitive truck that could have finished in the top-ten is a great feeling.”Mon, 28 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0700http://www.trgmotorsports.com/news/show.php?id=329http://www.trgmotorsports.com/news/show.php?id=329Donny Lia on Racing at Kansas Speedway:  “I’m excited to go to Kansas.  I have never seen it.  I don’t mind going to tracks that I’ve never been too.  I kind of enjoy that.  It’s kind of a treat for me to go somewhere I’ve never been too.  It will be a new challenge, but I know that we have a good truck and I think me never being there I don’t think it’s going to hurt us at all. I could end up being totally wrong, but we should be good there.”Donny Lia on Testing for Kansas:  In preparation for the 167-lap race at Kansas Speedway, Donny Lia’s No. 71 team tested at Pocono Raceway.  “The Pocono test went really good.  I don’t know how much you can take from Pocono and apply at Kansas, but I’m sure there’s something.  The bottom line is the truck had a real good balance to it.  Aero-wise I think we made a ton of gains since Atlanta and we learned a bunch of stuff in the wind tunnel.  This is a brand new truck – truck 002 – so far so good.  It’s really got a good feel and I’m comfortable in it.  I think that regardless of what transfers over from track to track, when you have a really good balance – that’s half the battle.  I’m really looking forward to going to Kansas with it.  I really can’t wait!” Fri, 25 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0700http://www.trgmotorsports.com/news/show.php?id=327http://www.trgmotorsports.com/news/show.php?id=327Andy Lally On His First Trip to The Kansas Oval:  "I have been trying to watch every bit of footage I can get my hands on from Kansas.  I was able to get a hold of Dennis Setzer's in car footage from two years ago and that was very helpful, he had a pretty eventful race and being able to watch a veteran like that go through all the different issues he faced during that race may help me make the right choice when I have multiple places to go in a bad situation. It also helped me learn the line as well."Andy Lally on Three Weekends Without Racing:    "I never like being out of the car for long especially in this case where I still have a lot to learn in our Chevy Silverado. We were able to do two days of testing at Richmond and I think we improved our truck there a bit and I also think I improved as well. I want to get the weekend rolling at Kansas and get our program rolling in the right direction, I believe so much in this team and I am so proud of the work that they do. I’m eager to get to the track and see what we have gained."Fri, 25 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0700http://www.trgmotorsports.com/news/show.php?id=328http://www.trgmotorsports.com/news/show.php?id=328Donny Lia helps raise awareness about Autism:  Donny Lia’s No. 71 Chevrolet will carry the colors of Autism Speaks starting at Martinsville Speedway.  Lia has a close connection to a child suffering from the incurable disorder.  “The Car Chief on my modified has a son who is autistic,” explained Lia.  “When we were looking at running at Martinsville without a primary sponsor, we decided that it would be better to offer the space to Autism Speaks to help get the word out about Autism and the need for a cure.”Wed, 26 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0700http://www.trgmotorsports.com/news/show.php?id=326http://www.trgmotorsports.com/news/show.php?id=326Andy Lally Takes Second at Sebring: While the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series enjoyed a two-week break between races, Andy Lally returned to his racing roots by competing in the prestigious 12 Hours of Sebring where he took home runner-up honors after leading much of the celebrated race. Lally was part of a three-driver crew who drove the No. 20 Dyson Racing Porsche Spyder in the 12 hour endurance race. The trio of Lally, Butch Leitzinger and Marino Franchitti finished second overall after leading twice. "I have never seen a more competitive Sebring race,” said Lally. “We fought hard the entire race and it was really cool to be able to lead overall at such a great race. The Dyson team did a great job all day.” Only three cars finished on the lead lap, tying the race record.Wed, 26 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0700http://www.trgmotorsports.com/news/show.php?id=325http://www.trgmotorsports.com/news/show.php?id=325Donny Lia set out to build momentum on Friday night at Atlanta Motor Speedway (AMS) and the 2007 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Champion did just that after he tied his career-best NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series finish in only his second start for TRG Motorsports, under the lights, at the 1.54-mile oval.  Lia drove his way to a top-20 finish in the 130-lap American Commercial Lines 200 after battling a loose truck all night.Mon, 10 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0700http://www.trgmotorsports.com/news/show.php?id=323http://www.trgmotorsports.com/news/show.php?id=323Andy Lally and his TRG Motorsports team entered Atlanta Motor Speedway on Friday night with a slightly different approach after testing at the 1.54-mile oval. Their approach paid off as Lally had a strong run, finishing just outside the top-20 in his first career start at the high-speed oval. In only his sixth career NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series start, Lally qualified 23rd and finished 22nd in the 130-lap American Commercial Lines 200, producing his second-best finish of the year.Mon, 10 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0700http://www.trgmotorsports.com/news/show.php?id=315http://www.trgmotorsports.com/news/show.php?id=315Donny Lia on His Goals For Atlanta: “We set a new goal every race. Our goal in Atlanta is to finish on the lead lap. It would be a successful weekend for the No. 71 TRG Motorsports Chevrolet if our team came out of here with a top-fifteen finish and on the lead lap. That’s our goal and that’s what I’m focused on. It’s all about building momentum and that’s the first step for us. That’s what we need to do. As long as we come out of here finishing with all four corners on the truck, it will still be a good day. The guys at the shop are really working hard putting in long, long hours and I’m going to do the best that I can for them.”Thu, 06 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0800http://www.trgmotorsports.com/news/show.php?id=317http://www.trgmotorsports.com/news/show.php?id=317Coming off a solid 11th place finish at Daytona International Speedway last week, Andy Lally and the TRG Motorsports team knew they would have their work cut out for them at the second stop on the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series schedule at the newly renamed Auto Club Speedway on Saturday afternoon.  The 2-mile oval, formerly known as California Speedway, is also known to be wide, fast, and challenging.  Lally, a Raybestos Rookie of the Year contender, faced several challenges of his own at the D-shaped oval but he still managed to bring the No. 7 TRG Motorsports Chevrolet home with a top-30 finish in his debut on the Speedway’s four-turn oval.Tue, 26 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0800http://www.trgmotorsports.com/news/show.php?id=314http://www.trgmotorsports.com/news/show.php?id=314Team Principal Kevin Buckler on Racing at His Home Track: “I’m originally from Southern California, so it’s always a lot of fun to race at California Speedway. I know the area and the track really well. We’ve always had strong results here and we won several big Grand-Am Rolex series events. This will be our first time racing at California with the NASCAR contingency, and we’re really looking forward to it. We’ll have a lot of local people here to support us, and we’re really looking forward to having a successful race.”Fri, 22 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0800http://www.trgmotorsports.com/news/show.php?id=321http://www.trgmotorsports.com/news/show.php?id=321Team Principal Kevin Buckler on The Addition of Donny Lia to TRG: “Signing a hot, young driver like Donny Lia was a huge bonus for us at TRG Motorsports. We’re very excited to add him to our team. We will have two Raybestos rookies going for the gold in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series this year, which is definitely exciting for everyone at TRG. Donny is very talented and has shown a lot of promise. He’s been successful in everything that he has raced and even won the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Championship last year. We’re looking forward to helping him carry that success over to the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.”Fri, 22 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0800http://www.trgmotorsports.com/news/show.php?id=316http://www.trgmotorsports.com/news/show.php?id=316Andy Lally is a Raybestos Rookie of the Year contender in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS), but the three-time Rolex Grand Am Champion raced like he was a veteran of stock car racing in his first career NCTS start at Daytona International Speedway on Friday night while driving the No. 7 LINE-X Chevrolet for TRG Motorsports.  Lally qualified 15th, raced his way into fifth position, and pulled off a finish just outside of the top-ten in his debut at the high, wide, and historic track located in Daytona Beach, Florida.Tue, 19 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0800http://www.trgmotorsports.com/news/show.php?id=324http://www.trgmotorsports.com/news/show.php?id=324Just a week before the Chevy Silverado 250, former NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Champion Mike Bliss received a phone call that nearly changed his life.  Bliss accepted an offer to drive for the new TRG Motorsports team in the season-opening NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS) race at Daytona International Speedway.  Even though Bliss has several accomplishments to his name including the 2002 NCTS Championship, a win at the legendary tri-oval has eluded him so far.  That almost changed on Friday night after Bliss blazed through field from his 26th place starting spot and into the top-three while driving one of the fastest trucks he’s had in his successful career.Tue, 19 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0800http://www.trgmotorsports.com/news/show.php?id=318http://www.trgmotorsports.com/news/show.php?id=318Team Principal Kevin Buckler on TRG’s Debut at Daytona: “This is one of the most significant days in the history of TRG. For the past 15 years we‘ve been building our brand. Making our first start for TRG Motorsports here at Daytona is a dream come true for myself and all of our partners. I’m very proud to be associated with such an excellent group of people. We’re looking forward to a really good race on Friday night.”Thu, 14 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0800http://www.trgmotorsports.com/news/show.php?id=320http://www.trgmotorsports.com/news/show.php?id=320