Lester aims to erase barriers
ATLANTA – Bill Lester couldn’t stand sitting behind a desk.
He walked away from a six-figure job to pursue his dream of being a race car driver, not thinking about the chance to leave his mark on history.
“I’m a racer,” Lester said. “But now I realize that I have a unique opportunity and responsibility to make a change.”
Today, Lester will attempt to become the first black driver in nearly 20 years to qualify for a race in NASCAR’s top series. He’s a long shot to make the 43-car field for the Nextel Cup race at Atlanta Motor Speedway, but hopes that his presence will inspire others to follow.
“There are a lot of black people out there who are closet NASCAR fans,” Lester said. “They feel uncomfortable about coming to the racetrack because it’s hard to identify with anyone there. I’m in a position to change that.”
Willy T. Ribbs was the last black driver to compete in a Cup race, qualifying for three events in 1986. His best finish was 29th.
NASCAR’s most successful black driver was Wendell Scott, whose 13-year career spanned 495 races and a landmark victory in 1964. A few years after he retired, Richard Pryor starred in the movie “Greased Lightning,” largely based on Scott’s battle for acceptance in the white-dominated sport.
Lester, a regular in NASCAR’s truck series since 2002, hasn’t been as successful as Scott.
He’s managed to finish in the top five twice and been on the pole three times in the truck series, but has yet to make it to the winner’s circle. At 45, he’s probably too old to be considered for a regular ride in Nextel Cup.
Still, it’s a lot better than his former job as a project manager at Hewlett-Packard Corp., where he grew bored with the making presentations and meeting with board directors.
“At that point of my life, I didn’t want to feel like it was a coulda or woulda situation,” Lester recalled.
Atlanta Motor Speedway president Ed Clark encouraged Lester to enter qualifying for this week’s Nextel Cup race, not far from the driver’s home.
Clark hasn’t given up on the idea of Lester earning a regular spot on the Nextel Cup circuit.
“He is the kind of guy that represents NASCAR well,” Clark said. “This isn’t about a one-time race. He’s going to have a chance to do this six or more times this year and maybe lead into a full-time opportunity next year.”
Anthony Martin, a friend of Ribbs, said it’s not enough for a black driver to compete in Nextel Cup. Pointing to the Williams sisters in tennis and Tiger Woods in golf, he said the best way to break through racial stereotypes is to win races.
“It can be a situation where he finishes 25th or 30th and there is no significance,” said Martin, founder and director executive of Urban Youth Racing School in Philadelphia.
Lester doesn’t worry about the long odds he faces in becoming the Woods of his sport.
“If I lived the way other people view me, then I wouldn’t be where I am today,” Lester said. “If I meet my goals and expectations, then I’ve easily exceeded everyone else.”
It was initially tough for Lester and his wife, Cheryl, when he made the career change in 1987. For three years, they got by on investments, savings and hope.