The Power Stroke Diesel 200 event at Indianapolis Raceway Park will not be just another short track race for Bill Lester and the No. 8 Strauss Auto Parts/The Club Dodge Team. Last year, Lester was involved in an accident that resulted in a 28th place finish. But this year, the BHR driver is looking forward to the event and a successful short track outing.
"Over the last year and a half, I've not been a big fan of short tracks," said Lester. "But this week is a little different. I'm looking at it in an entirely different way. We've had so many great things happen to this team this year that a top ten finish at a short track is not that big of a request. The team is performing well, and I feel very confident about racing at the half mile facility, so part of the battle is already won." Lester has finished on the lead lap in two of the three short track races this season. In the other race at Memphis, he was running on the lead lap when the ball joint broke, sending him into the outside wall.
"The short track races have been pretty good to us this year," said Lester. "We've been on the lead lap for the most part, with just the race at Memphis being a let down." Lester and the No. 8 Team enter the second half of the 2003 season in the 13th position in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series points standings.
"It's still a little early to worry about the points," said Lester. "When we have about five races to go in the season, then we need to have ourselves positioned so we can make a run at the top ten in the points."
Appearances: Lester will be making an appearance at Monument Square in downtown Indianapolis, Indiana on Thursday, July 31 for the Dodge Pit Crew Challenge. Lester will be on hand to sign autographs, as the No. 4 BHR team and the No. 2 Ultra Motorsports team face off in round three of the contest. In Daytona earlier this year, the No. 8 team defeated the No. 1 Mopar Ultra Motorsports team. The finals will be held in Las Vegas in September.
"This competition is a big deal at BHR," said Lester. "Last year, BHR won with the No. 18 team, so the pressure is on to repeat with one of the teams."
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 (Next Event)
2003 Totals
Starts - 13
Poles - 1
Wins - 0
Top fives - 0
Top tens - 1
Earnings - $ 150,550
Laps Completed - 2132 of 2238 (95.2%)
Laps Led - 2 of 2238
Races Led - 1 of 13
DNF's - 2
This Week's Truck: The last two outings for "Curley" have been heart breaking. Both at Memphis and St. Louis, Lester was involved in a mishap on the track that cost him a solid run. In both cases, the driver of the No. 8 Dodge was a victim. In Memphis a broken ball joint was to blame, while in St. Louis, Lester was swept up in a lap truck crash.
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 14 12 Bill Lester
3-23-03 Bakersfield 23 13 Bill Lester
4-12-03 Martinsville 17 19 Bill Lester
6-6-03 Texas 13 12 Bill Lester
6-21-03 Memphis 14 26 Bill Lester
5-19-03 St. Louis 14 22 Bill Lester
Lester Quotes
"Leading for the first time last week and it being under green flag conditions was fantastic. It was made even more special by the fact that my mother and father had made the trip from California to visit friends and family in Michigan, so they were on hand to see it. It was just one of a series of really great moments that have been happening to this team and me this year."
For More Information see www.bobbyhamiltonracing.com
Power Stroke Diesel 200
August 1, 2003
Indianapolis Raceway Park
TV: SPEED (Live) 9:00 PM-Eastern Time
Radio: MRN (Live) 9:00 PM-Eastern Time
2003 points standing after 13 of 25 races
Position Driver Points
1st Brendan Gaughan 2000
2nd Travis Kvapil 2000
3rd Ted Musgrave 1969
4th Dennis Setzer 1921
7th Bobby Hamilton 1868
11th Chad Chaffin 1608
13th Bill Lester 1546
Bill Lester Profile
Birthdate - February 6, 1961
Wife - Cheryl
Children - Alex
Residence - Atlanta, Georgia
Education - BS in E.E./C.S.
U.C. Berkeley
NASCAR Truck Series Career Statistics
Year-By-Year
Years Starts Wins Top 5's Top 10's Money
2000 1 0 0 0 $ 7,770
2001 5 0 0 0 35,700
2002 22 0 0 0 264,766
2003 13 0 0 1 150,550
Totals 41 0 0 1 $457,786
Career Best Start: 1st @ Lowes Motor Speedway 5-16-03
Best Finish: 10th @ Kansas Speedway 7-5-03
Biggest Purse: $ 15,165 @ Daytona Intl. Speedway 3-14-03
Bill Lester No. 8 Strauss Auto Parts/The Club Dodge Race Notes
Topics of Interest
Performance Record: Indianapolis Raceway Park
Date Start Finish Laps Status Money Won
8-2-02 11 28 185 of 200 Running $ 7,090
Totals 185 of 200 (92.5%) $ 7,090
No. 8 Team History: Year Start Finish Driver
2002 11 28 Bill Lester
2001 29 20 Willy T. Ribbs
