March 18. 2003

Bill Lester, No 8 Dodge Dealers Race Notes: Mesa Marin

Lucas Oil 250
March 23, 2003
Mesa Marin Raceway
TV: SPEED (Live) 5:00 PM-Eastern Time
Radio: MRN (Live) 4:45 PM-Eastern Time

2003 points after 2 of 25 races
Position Driver Points
1st Bobby Hamilton 345
2nd Travis Kvapil 340
3rd Rick Crawford 331
4th Brendan Gaughan 309
5th Robert Pressley 304
7th Chad Chaffin 272
13th Bill Lester 236

Bill Lester - Personal Info:
Birthdate - February 6, 1961
Wife - Cheryl
Children - None
Residence - Atlanta, Georgia
Education - BS in E.E./C.S.
U.C. Berkeley

Bill Lester - Fast Facts….
NASCAR Career (1999-2003)
Busch Grand - one start

2003 Season
Starts - 2
Poles - 0
Wins - 0
Top fives - 0
Top tens - 0
Earnings - $ 24,630
Laps Led - 0 of 253
Races Led - 0 of 2
DNF's - 1

Truck Series Career Statistics
Starts - 30
Poles - 0
Wins - 0
Top fives - 0
Top tens - 0
Earnings - $ 332,866

Topics of Interest

Performance Record: Mesa Marin Raceway
(Bill Lester Has No Previous Starts at the Facility)

No. 8 Team History: Year Start Finish Driver
2002 (No event was held)
2001 23 28 Willy T. Ribbs

It's Baby Time: At every single NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series event, there is always a common bond between a driver and his crew chief if they expect to run well, but in the case of Bill Lester and Danny Rollins, that common bond will extend into each other's personal life this weekend.
Both Lester and Rollins are expecting additions to their respective families this week, so to say they have a few other things on their minds is the understatement of the week.

"Well, I know I have never said this before," said Lester. "I can't wait to get this race over so I can get back on the plane home to be with my wife, Cheryl. We're expecting our first child and to say I'm overwhelmed is an understatement. I just can't wait to get home."

"I'm on pins and needles this week," said Rollins. "It could be any day now. I know both Bill and I have a job to do, but the birth of your children is really the greatest moment of your life, so you definitely don't want to miss it."
This will be Rollins and his wife Marli's second child.

What to Look For at Bakersfield: Due to Lester having never been to the Mesa Marin Raceway, the best way for him to get a look at the track was to view the in-truck camera tape from when Willy T. Ribbs competed at the facility in 2001.

"I have never been to the race track in Bakersfield, so I had to look at something, so the guys on the team suggested that I watch the in-truck race tape from a few years ago," said Lester. "I watched it over and over to get an idea of what to expect, so we'll just have to wait a see if it is similar to what I've watched on television."

Appearances: Lester will be signing autographs from 7-9:00PM on Friday, March 21, 2003, at the Bakersfield Street Fair in Downtown Bakersfield, California. He will also be signing autographs at the Mesa Marin Raceway on Sunday morning, March 23, 2003 from 11-11:30AM at the Dodge Merchandise Rig, just outside of the main grandstands.

Bobby Hamilton Racing
No. 8 Crew Roster
Name Duties
Chris Atwood Rear Tire Carrier
Tommy Davis Catchcan
Steve Douglas Jackman
Jeff Hensley Signman
Bill Lester Driver
Kip McCord General Manager Spotter
Jason Miller Rear Tire Changer
David Pepper Marketing and Public Relations
Danny Rollins Crew Chief Front Tire Changer
David Quay Gasman
Jeff White Front Tire Carrier

Testing: The No. 8 Team tested at Nashville Speedway USA two weeks ago to prepare for this weekend's race at Mesa Marin Raceway.

All Time High: Despite being only two races into the 2003 season, it must be noted that the No. 8 BHR Dodge Dealers Dodge Team is sitting in the 13th position in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series points standings, an all-time in the team's history.

Career Earnings: Lester needs only $17,134 to surpass the $ 350,000 mark in career NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series earnings.

This Week's Truck: After escaping from Darlington Raceway unscathed, Lester and the No. 8 Dodge team decided to take the same truck they raced at Darlington to Mesa Marin Raceway this weekend. Curley, as the truck is known, has competed in six events over the last year with its best finish, 12th place, coming last week at Darlington Raceway.
"Hey, last week was ok, but we plan on improving on that start this weekend," said Lester. "This has been one of our best trucks over the last year, so we expect big things this Sunday."

Performance Chart: Curley
DATE RACE START/FINISH DRIVER
5-5-02 St. Louis 12 17 Bill Lester
5-19-02 Pikes Peak 9 15 Bill Lester
6-29-02 Milwaukee 16 18 Bill Lester
9-21-02 South Boston 31 17 Bill Lester
11-8-02 Phoenix 2 14 Bill Lester
3-14-03 Darlington 15 12 Bill Lester

Lester Quotes
"The next two races really can turn your year upside down. You can be running a good race and get into someone else's problems. But if you get out of Bakersfield and Martinsville next month without any problems, then in our case, we'll be off to a good start to the year."

"I don't have a lot of experience at the short tracks, but it's just one of those things that we have to get better at. I know it will take a few times at this place to get as fast as say, Bobby (Hamilton) or Ted Musgrave, but I'm going to give it my best shot."


Lester's 2003 Craftsman Truck Series Event Results
Location Start Finish Laps Status Money Won
Daytona 8 18 97 of 106 Accident $ 15,165
Darlington 15 12 144 of 147 Running 9,465
Bakersfield (Next Event)
Totals 241 of 253 (95.2%) $ 24,630

Best Start: 2nd @ Phoenix International Raceway 11-8-02
Best Finish: 11th @ Texas Motor Speedway 6-7-02
Biggest Purse: $ 15,165 @ Daytona International Speedway 3-14-03