Billy Ballew And Bill Lester Racing Into Atlanta With High Expectations



When Bill Lester takes the green flag for the March 16 American Commercial Lines 200 Craftsman Truck Series race, he will have one thing on his mind: victory lane.

Lester, still searching for his elusive first Truck Series victory, will be coming to Atlanta with a new team in Billy Ballew Motorsports and a rejuvenated outlook on his racing career.

“What Billy Ballew has given me as far as people and equipment is top-notch, and I think that we’re going to gain that first win for me, personally, this year, and I’ll be very happy and honored to do it with Billy Ballew, ” Lester said. “The teams I have driven for in the past were multi-truck teams so the focus was a bit different. ”

Both Lester and Ballew call Georgia home and like Lester, team owner Ballew is optimistic about their fortunes in 2007. Ballew has experienced success at AMS, going to victory lane with Kyle Busch behind the wheel of his Chevrolet in October, 2005.

“It is great to have such a combination of experience between our team and Bill, ” said Ballew. “With Bill Lester behind the wheel, we believe we have the opportunity to get Bill his first career NCTS win. He is a dedicated racer and has untapped talent. ”

Lester will not only have the experience of starting every Truck Series race at AMS, he also started the March 2006 NEXTEL Cup race at AMS, becoming the first African-American to start a Cup race in nearly 20-years.

“You know, 500 miles in a Cup car compared to 200 miles in a truck are very different, ” Lester said. “Starting the Cup race did allow me to realize you can run anywhere on that track because there is some rubber laid down. Atlanta is always going to be a special place for me. It’s home, and it’s a track that I really like to drive on. ”

Regardless of the outcome of the race, Lester is proud to be teamed up with Ballew, trying to make the state of Georgia proud.

“It’s great that Billy and I have teamed up, ” Lester said. “You know, all these teams are based in North Carolina, so for us really to have our roots in Georgia I think is key, and we’re both really proud of that, so we’re both basically representing for the A-T-L. ”

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