Lester applauds Wallace’s push
Mike Hembree
Bill Lester was Bubba Wallace before there was a Bubba Wallace.
Lester, 59, was the last Black driver to compete on a regular basis at the top levels of NASCAR before Wallace, who remains at the center of the sport’s dramatic movement toward support of racial equality and significant internal changes.
Lester, originally a sports car racer, competed in the NASCAR Cup, Xfinity and Truck series from 1999 to 2007. His best finishes were two top-5 runs in the Truck series, where he raced with Dodge factory support.
Lester said he has watched events in NASCAR over the past month with great interest, particularly as they relate to his experience 20 years ago. NASCAR’s decision to ban the Confederate flag from its events was especially welcome, he said, and he applauded Wallace for being the agent of that change.
“I’m very pleased at the stance that NASCAR has taken,” Lester told USA TODAY Sports. “It’s long overdue. I would have loved to have been able to have the platform that Bubba was given because of the unfortunate deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery. Bubba called for change, and NASCAR was receptive, as a lot of the country is receptive to change.
“When I was racing in the early 2000s, I would have been looked at like I had two heads (if he had taken that stance). I went on record talking about how uncomfortable the Confederate flag made me, but that fell on deaf ears. The sport was not ready for change at that time.”
Lester, now retired from a research and development managerial position with Hewlett-Packard in California, said he was treated with respect by other NASCAR drivers but often was booed by fans.
“I never felt threatened, but I was made to feel uncomfortable,” he said. “I was fine in the garage area, but getting to the garage area, there was definitely some anxiety. At Las Vegas or Fontana (California), I had no concerns. It was mostly a Southeast thing. Going from the parking lot to the track at Martinsville (in Virginia), oh man, I definitely felt my blood pressure rising on a couple of occasions.”
Lester said he has talked to NASCAR President Steve Phelps about participating in the organization’s diversity initiatives.
“I would like to be a part of what’s happening,” he said. “Bubba can’t shoulder all this himself. He is worn out. I’ve seen it. I’ve texted with him. The toll it’s taking on him is immense.
“I know what it’s like to be in that position. I’ve indicated to NASCAR that I’m there for them. I believe in the sport.”
Lester praised NASCAR drivers for producing a video in support of racial inclusion.
“Jimmie Johnson initiated that video, and I was like, ‘Wow,’ ” he said. “Thank you, Jimmie, and thank you to the other drivers. That was a strong statement. They knew what they risked by putting that together in terms of the traditional fan base, but they looked at it from the greater good of equality and race relations in this country.”
Lester, who lives in Suwanee, Georgia, said he is working on a memoir, “Winning in Reverse,” targeted for publication next year. He said he still sees impediments to the NASCAR environment being “welcoming and inviting.”
“The situation that took place at the Talladega race was somewhat disappointing, with the ‘Defund NASCAR’ plane flying overhead and all the pickup trucks with the flags flying from the beds. If we continue to see that flag, it’s just going to be uncomfortable. I don’t know what NASCAR’s answer to that is. The environment is still not conducive to substantial change.”