July 14, 2003

Bill Lester Rallied From Early Spin to Finish 12th

Bill Lester had one of the most event filled races of the year. He spun on lap one, falling back to 35th place, and then proceeded to race all the way back up to sixth place, before settling for a 12th place finish.

“That is as hard as I’ve ever had to drive to get a 12th place finish,” said Lester. “When the race started, the truck was a little loose, and when I went into turn one, it just got away from me. A few other trucks spun with us, but we did not have much damage. We got back out there and battled with them all day. At the end of the race, the truck was so free that I could not make a run at the No. 14 truck for fear of spinning out. But with everything that happened to us in the race, I’m pretty happy to finish 12th on the lead lap.”

Lester began the day from the ninth position, before spinning on lap one and winding up in the 35th position. Following the spin, Lester made two pit stops so the crew could make repairs to the No. 8 Dodge. They sent him back into the action after beating out the fender and checking the truck’s tow to see if it was driving straight. Everything seemed fine, so Crew Chief Randy Seals sent Lester back into the fight.
From that moment on, Lester and the team raced as hard as they could, taking advantage of every opportunity that presented itself. They made several pit stops during the middle of the race to get the truck handling better, and for the most part it helped, as Lester was able to stay on the lead lap. With the race winding down, Lester stayed out under caution to gain track position. When the race restarted with 31 laps remaining, Lester had moved to the sixth position.

But unfortunately, the truck was so free in traffic that Lester was unable to hang on to it. He fell back to 12th place by the time the final caution came out. It was at that time that Lester pitted again for a chassis adjustment. He returned to the track in the 12th position despite the stop, because he was the last man on the lead lap. Over the final 13 laps of the race, Lester staged a tremendous battle with Rick Crawford and Hank Parker, Jr. for the final top ten spot. In fact, on the white flag lap, Lester and Crawford traded the 11th position three times before Lester came up half a truck length short at the start finish line.

“I know we did not get beat by much,” said Lester. “That was a lot of fun there at the end. Crawford and I raced pretty clean and hard there for 11th place. I just wish the truck wasn’t so free. I may have been able to pass him.”

Lester and the team remain in the 13th position in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series points standings heading into St. Louis, Missouri.

Driver: Bill Lester, No. 8 Dodge Dealers Dodge Team
Starts Pole Wins Top Fives Top Tens Earnings Points Position
11 1 0 0 1 $ 129,085 13th

Race-by-Race Run Down:
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 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 12 167 of 167 Running 13,165
Memphis 14 26 128 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 (Next Event)

Totals 1891 of 1978 (95.6%) $ 129,085