Bill Lester No. 8 Strauss Auto Parts/The Club Dodge Race Notes

Topics of Interest
Performance Record: Nashville Super Speedway
Date Start Finish Laps Status Money Won
8-10-01 10 36 9 of 150 Accident $ 5,415
8-10-02 12 16 148 of 151 Running $ 8,640
Totals 157 of 301 (52.1%) $ 14,055

No. 8 Team History:
Year Start Finish Driver
2002 12 16 Bill Lester
2001 20 24 Willy T. Ribbs

Hometown Team: There is a little added pressure on the No. 8 Strauss Auto Parts/The Club Dodge Team and BHR when the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series visits Nashville Super Speedway. It is the team’s home track so several hundred family and friends will be in attendance at the event.

“It’s big for the guys,” said Lester. “I bet my guys on the No. 8 truck have 40 or 50 people coming to the race. That’s why we have to run and perform at our best.”

Last year, Lester and the Team recorded a 16th place finish. They started 12th and raced in the top 15 for most of the night before being passed in the closing laps. For Lester, the track has been even more unkind than just a 16th place finish. The first year the trucks visited Nashville Super Speedway, Lester piloted the No. 4 BHR truck. He qualified in the 10th position and was set for a solid outing, but a crash on lap nine ended that hope.

“This place owes me a little,” said Lester. “We’ve run well both times here, but our finishes have not been that good. Hopefully this year will be a little different.”

One of 17: Despite there having been only two races at the Nashville Super Speedway, Lester is one of only 17 drivers to run both events. Only ten of these drivers are expected to participate in the 2003 event.

Appearances: At this time, Lester has only one public appearance at the Nashville event. He will be at the Dodge Merchandise rig on race day signing autographs. No schedule has been set. All other functions are sponsor or team related.

Open House: The Nashville Super Speedway will host the third annual BHR Open House on Wednesday, August 6, 2003 from 5:00PM to 8:00PM CST. The event is open to all preferred ticket holders at the Speedway. All three BHR drivers will be on hand to sign autographs and mingle with the crowd. The will also be a dinner, the Craftsman simulator, the Dodge engineering transporter, and the Dodge merchandise rig.

BHR No. 8 Dodge Crew Roster
Name Duties
Jeff Davis Front Tire Changer
Tommy Davis Catchcan
Jeff Hensley Signman
Bill Lester Driver
Kip McCord General Manager and Spotter
David Pepper Marketing and Public Relations
Todd Perryman Rear Tire Changer
Randy Seals Crew Chief
Jon Stancil Front Tire Carrier
David Quay Gasman
Mary Quay Scorer
Chris Williams Rear Tire Carrier
TBA Jackman

Lester’s 2003 Craftsman Truck Series Event Results
Location Start Finish Laps Status Money
Daytona 8 18 97 of 106 Accident $ 15,165
Darlington 15 12 144 of 147 Running 9,465
Bakersfield 23 13 255 of 255 Running 8,190
Martinsville 17 19 250 of 250 Running 9,315
Charlotte 1 15 135 of 136 Running 11,890
Dover 15 11 198 of 200 Running 13,750
Texas 13 12 146 of 146 Running 13,165
Memphis 14 26 125 of 200 Running 8,990
Milwaukee 23 12 198 of 200 Running 10,215
Kansas 2 10 167 of 167 Running 14,000
Kentucky 9 12 150 of 150 Running 14,940
St. Louis 14 22 141 of 160 Accident 9,190
Michigan 5 11 100 of 100 Running 12,275
Indy 23 28 191 of 200 Running 7,090
Nashville (Next Event)

2003 Totals
Starts - 14
Poles - 1
Wins - 0
Top fives - 0
Top tens - 1
Earnings - $ 157,640
Laps Completed - 2323 of 2438 (95.3%)
Laps Led - 2 of 2438
Races Led - 1 of 14
DNF’s – 2

This Week’s Truck: The No. 8 team will race “Trix” at Nashville this week. It is the same truck that Lester raced with last year at the track and finished 16th. This year, the truck has had an average start of 4.25 and one pole at Lowes Motor Speedway in May.

Performance Chart: Trix
DATE RACE START/FINISH DRIVER
5-7-02 Texas 7 11 Bill Lester
7-6-02 Kansas 3 29 Bill Lester
7-13-02 Kentucky 3 14 Bill Lester
7-27-02 Michigan 19 15 Bill Lester
8-10-02 Nashville 12 16 Bill Lester
9-13-02 Texas 6 28 Bill Lester
10-13-02 Las Vegas 12 17 Bill Lester
11-2-02 California 3 14 Bill Lester
11-15-02 Homestead 9 18 Bill Lester
5-16-03 Charlotte 1 15 Bill Lester
7-5-03 Kansas 2 10 Bill Lester
5-12-03 Kentucky 9 12 Bill Lester
7-26-03 Michigan 5 11 Bill Lester

Lester Quotes
“Well, this is the last race we have in the summer stretch. We’ve been pretty good all summer. We’ve had a few ups and downs, but for the most part it has been fairly successful. Now we need to finish out the last ten races or so with some solid runs. We still have a goal of finishing in the top ten the points before the end of the season, so we need a few more top ten finishes.”