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Rookie Lia wins dramatic finish at Ohio 250

May 24, 2008 - 9:42 PM MANSFIELD, Ohio (Ticker) -- Donny Lia did not take long to make his mark on the NASCAR Craftsman Series.

Lia made a dramatic pass on the last lap to claim his first career win at Ohio 250 at Mansfield Motorsports Park on Saturday.

Competing in just his eighth career start on the circuit, Lia became the first rookie to win a Trucks Series race since Carl Edwards at Kentucky in 2003.

"I really don't have a whole lot to say except this is an unbelievable day and something that I am still trying to believe is really happening," Lia said.

Sitting in second place entering the final lap in his Chevrolet Silverado, Lia made a move to the inside against leader David Starr on in turn three of the 1/2-mile oval track, bumping the back left end of Starr's Toyota Tundra to pull up into a share of the lead before edging it out.

"I got into Starr right there a little bit and hey, that's last lap racing and I'm sure he owes me one now but that's cool," Lia said. "You know if it's the last lap and I'm in his position then I'm going to anticipate him hitting me anyway whether I did it today or not. That's just short track racing and I just can't believe we are here right now it's just really unbelievable."

Starr finished in second just ahead of Todd Bodine, who also made a inside move on the second-to-last turn, leading to all three drivers being three wide on the final backstretch.

Despite placing third in his Toyota, Bodine did manage to take over the lead in the points standing from Ron Hornaday Jr., who struggled in finishing 35th.

Bodine now owns an eight-point lead over Rick Crawford, who placed 13th on Saturday. Hornaday dropped down to fifth, 64 points off the pace.

Despite leading for 170 laps, Starr had to settle for his best finish of the year.

Defending champion Dennis Setzer did not much better than Hornaday, settling for 34th while dealing with overheating issues.