Bill Lester No. 23
Waste Management Event Preview
Atlanta Motor Speedway
GOLDEN CORRAL 500 NEWS AND NOTES
It’s a First…Bill Lester hopes to make his first NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series start this weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Ricky Viers, who handles research and development at Bill Davis Racing, will serve as Lester’s crew chief for the weekend. Waste Management will sponsor Lester and the No. 23 team this weekend, then return to sponsor the team in the NEXTEL Cup race at Michigan International Speedway in June and the September event at California Speedway.
Doing Double Duty…In addition to attempting to make Sunday’s Cup race, Lester will also be behind the wheel of his usual ride, the No. 22 Waste Management Toyota in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series event Friday evening.
This Week’s Ride…The No. 23 Waste Management car that will be utilized this weekend is chassis No. 84, which was a former No. 22 Caterpillar car. It was run in last year’s spring event at Atlanta Motor Speedway, the fall event at Richmond International Raceway and at Chicagoland Speedway.
Practice Makes Perfect…Lester and his No. 23 team tested at Kentucky Speedway last weekend to prepare for this weekend’s event.
Impressive Atlanta Stats…Though Lester has not made a NEXTEL Cup Series start on the 1.5-mile Atlanta track, he has been successful at the venue in the Craftsman Truck Series. Lester’s first of his three career Atlanta starts came in 2004. Lester has never qualified outside the top seven and has one top-15 finish and one top-20 finish to show for his efforts.
Using the Buddy System…Lester will have the No. 22 Caterpillar team and driver Dave Blaney, along with Bill Davis Racing teammate Michael Waltrip to lean on this weekend. All three cars are prepared out of the Bill Davis Racing shop in High Point, N.C.
Don’t miss any of it …Qualifying for the NASCAR Nextel Cup Golden Corral 500 is scheduled to start at 7:10 p.m. EST Friday, March 17 and will broadcast LIVE on SPEED (TV), PRN (radio) and XM Satellite Radio Channel 144. The 500-mile event is scheduled to start at 1:30 p.m. EST Sunday, March 19, and will broadcast LIVE on FOX (TV), PRN and XM Satellite Radio Channel 144.
Bill Lester on Atlanta…
“I’m really looking forward to making my first NEXTEL Cup start this weekend in Atlanta. I’ve been waiting for this opportunity for a long time, and I’m especially thankful that my Truck Series sponsor Waste Management is coming along for the ride. Waste Management is a great company and a great sponsor and they’ve always been behind me 100 percent. I’m honored they are supporting me in my efforts at every level of racing, and I’m hopeful we can get our No. 23 car into the show and ready to go for Sunday. I’m certainly confident in our Bill Davis Racing team and my crew chief, Ricky Viers, and I know we’ll show up with a competitive car and a great group of people on the team, plus we’ll have our teammates to lean on for support if we need it. We tested in Kentucky last week in preparation for this event, and I can’t wait to get to Atlanta. Racing the trucks at this track would be something to look forward to in itself, but your first start in the Cup Series is something you dream of your whole life and obviously only happens once. The possibilities from this point forward are endless, and I can’t wait to see what happens from here.”
