2/12/2007
Bill Lester
A NEW TEAM, A NEW MANUFACTURER AND A NEW SEASON GIVE LESTER A RENEWED LOOK AT DAYTONA
Bill Lester enters the 2007 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season with a lot of changes from his 2006 season. Lester has joined Billy Ballew Motorsports and will be behind the wheel of Chevrolet Silverado’s for the first time in his career, which has given Lester a renewed spirit heading into the season-opener at the Daytona International Speedway.
Lester has made five career starts at the 2.5-mile superspeedway behind the wheel of a Craftsman truck with his best finish coming in 2004 when he finished 16th and his best start coming last season when he started on the outside of the front row. Billy Ballew Motorsports placed their truck on the pole in 2005 with Kerry Earnhardt behind the wheel and earned their team’s best finish at Daytona in 2003 of fifth with Andy Houston. This weekend the powerhouse duo of Lester and Ballew hope to bring their talents together for their first trip to victory lane in Daytona.
“Daytona has been a good track for me in some respects and not so good in others,” said Lester. “I have had some great qualifying runs and have run out front, but it seems that I get caught up in someone else’s bad day which puts me out of the event early. Of course it’s all about having a strong truck in the draft when you come here and I know Billy Ballew Motorsports has always been a front runner not only at Daytona, but almost every track on the circuit. We are looking for good things from our Chevrolet Silverado this week, we learned a lot in testing that I think will benefit us when we come back for the race. Just like a lot of other teams, we may not be the fastest on the track by ourselves, but I know we will have something for them in the draft.”
In addition to his new team and manufacturer, Lester will also welcome new sponsors for this weekend’s Silverado HD 250. Manheim Central Florida Auto Auction in Orlando will serve as primary sponsor while Manheim Daytona Auto Dealers Exchange in Daytona Beach and Krud Kutter brand biodegradable stain removers, cleaning supplies, and washers will both be on board as major associate sponsors this weekend. The Silverado HD 250 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race will take place on Friday, February 16 and will be broadcast live on Speed.
Submitted By: Philip Hampton
