Rising star: Bill Lester - stock car racer - Brief Article

Auto Racing Digest, June-July, 2002 by J.J. O'Malley

AFTER LANDING A RIDE WITH Bobby Hamilton Racing in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Bill Lester is in a position to become racing's latest "overnight sensation." In his case, however, it took 17 years of hard work for Lester to be positioned to showcase his talent to a national audience.

A native of Washington, D.C., Lester moved to California at an early age. He began his racing career in 1985 and his natural talent immediately shone. After being named the 1985 SCCA Northern California Region Rookie of the Year, Lester won the SCCA GT-3 regional championship the following year in a Mazda RX-3. Lester was ready to set the racing world on fire. "Then, the reality of trying to turn professional set in," he says.

Lester finally got the opportunity at a 1989 IMSA GTO race at Sears Point, where he qualified an independent Camaro in the top 10. "I was the highest qualifying independent," says Lester. "I was running against all the big dogs--the Jack Roush Cougars with Wally Dallenbach and Pete Halsmer, Hans Stuck and Hurley Haywood in factory Audis--and I was running in the top 10 before going out with a mechanical problem with only 12 laps remaining."

Lester also had a few one-off rides in the SCCA Trans-Am with Paul Gentilozzi and Tom Gloy, but major sponsorship failed to materialize. "I wound up sitting out until 1996, because I had no sponsorship," he says.

Lester didn't give up, however. He ran four races in the SCCA World Challenge in 1997, finishing third at Watkins Glen International. He made his NASCAR Busch Series debut at the Glen in 1999, substituting for Bobby Hillin to become the first African-American driver in that series. "I was running in the top 10, when Kevin Grubb spun in front of me, and I spun to avoid him," recalls Lester. "I wound up finishing 21st."

His road racing expertise helped him find annual rides in the Rolex 24 At Daytona, America's biggest sports car race. Finally, he landed a ride with the Corvette factory team in 2000-2001, running in the Grand Am Cup. "Our best race was the 2001 opener at Daytona," says Lester. "I started out last [56th], and worked my way up to fifth place. My teammate, John Heinricy, worked his way up to third place."

Even though he had a sports car background, Lester liked what he saw of NASCAR. He tested Todd Bodine's Busch car for Cicci-Welliver, and ran the 2000 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Portland, finishing 24th. Prior to the 2001 season, he tested for Bobby Hamilton Racing, auditioning for a ride made available by Dodge's diversity program. Hamilton liked what he saw in Lester, but the factory opted for a more-experienced driver, Willy T. Ribbs. When the team struggled through the season, Lester got a call from Hamilton, who told him: "Here's your opportunity."

Lester qualified 10th at Nashville and had a pair of top-20 finishes among four starts. It took a bit of adjustment from sports car racing to trucks, but Lester is proving to be a quick study. "It's a lot different," he explains. "I'm used to the finesse and precision of road racing. Here, it's rough and tumble, you have to handle the truck like a brute. It's a very different technique. Sports car racing is more conservative, with a gentlemanly approach. In find the trucks to be no-holds-barred racing.

"It took me a few seconds to adjust, but once I saw what it was like, I can mix it up with them. Now, I'm completely comfortable in this environment."

For the 2002 campaign, Lester had a strong showing in the season opener at Daytona, despite finishing 18th. "We were running second, but got shuffled back," he says. "No one wants to draft with a rookie. Then, we got caught up in a big crash with six laps to go."

Regardless of the result, Hamilton and the team likes what they see in Lester.