Toyota’s entrance to the series in 2004 created seven new
quality rides, and gave Lester an additional opportunity
to land a competitive ride. And when Bill Davis Racing
called, Lester was quick to jump at the chance.
“Everyone knows I came to the series with a unique set
of circumstances,” said Lester, referring to being a part
of Dodge’s driver diversity program. “But that isn’t how
I wanted to be known in this series. I am glad and
fortunate to have had the chance and the opportunity , but
my goal was always to be hired based on talent. It was an
honor to be called by Bill Davis, not because of my unique
situation, but because he wanted me to drive his truck.”
Lester has shown that Davis made the right call. He
and his BDR teammates have come on strong in recent weeks,
nabbing a top-10 finish at Gateway and running well into
the top-5 before a tire problem shortened his day at
Nashville. Lester says the building relationship he has
with crew chief Jeff Hensley is a major factor in the
strong performances on the track.
“Jeff has such a great background in this sport,”
Lester said. “He was a winning car owner and crew chief
in the Busch Series, and even won a championship. He
knows these things inside and out, and is terrific with
race strategy.
“When we were building this team, Bill (Davis) asked me
who I wanted to be the crew chief,” Lester continued.
“Well, Jeff was with me over at BHR, but he was originally
working as the engine tuner. Well, as the year went on,
Jeff and I built a pretty strong relationship and he was
actually helping in other areas. He was working on
chassis, and helping with race strategy. He wasn’t even a
BHR employee, he was with Arrington at the time. But he
wanted to win so badly he helped wherever he saw he was
needed. I jumped at the chance to bring him on board and
make his role as crew chief a little more official.”
With a solid foundation backing his efforts on the
track, Lester says the only thing missing from the overall
program is a little break from Lady Luck.
“Right now we have all the pieces in place,” he said.
“We have great people putting very competitive trucks on
the track for me. Toyota has been a real pleasure to work
with. They have given us all the tools to run up front.
But we just can’t seem to catch a break. I always tell
people we don’t need good luck. What we do need is just
to not have bad luck.”
A prime example of bad luck striking was the recent
race at Nashville. Lester qualified well and ran well up
in the top-5 all day before a cut tire ended his day
prematurely.
“That was just one instance,” he said. “We have had a
lot of really good runs going and then something would pop
up and get us. I was really thinking we were going to get
that finish we deserved at Nashville, but something out of
our hands ended our day early. But we haven’t given up.
We know what’s just around the corner for this team. Like
I said, we’re doing what we need to do. We don’t want
good luck, we just don’t want any more bad luck.”
Lester’s infectious sense of optimism is heightened
when he thinks of the overall benefit the BDR program has
received with his new teammate Johnny Benson joining the
operation.
“Johnny is a great guy,” Lester said. “Since we
have been working together, we have both had a race where
a problem in practice kept one of us off the track for
most of the session. We already have that report with one
another where we can use the other’s basic setup and be
comfortable with it. He is a huge asset to this team and
I look forward to working with him the rest of the year.”
Another reason Lester has a hard time erasing the grin
off his face is his family life: he and his wife Cheryl
welcomed their son, Alex, to their family just over a year
ago.
“That is what it’s all about there,” he said. “There
isn’t anything that little guy can’t fix. I was in a
rotten mood after the Nashville race. I just didn’t want
to talk to anyone. But he and Cheryl were there, and when
I saw him after the race it just made all the frustration
go away. There’s something about a child’s smile that
just makes you forget about everything else.”
