Lester makes most of time on the track

ATLANTA -- When he quit his job as a computer engineer 15 years ago, Bill Lester longed for a career in auto racing. He ended up with much more.

The only black driver in one of NASCAR's top three series has a ride in the Craftsman Truck Series, a part-time gig as a TV commentator and, coming soon to a grocery store near you, a cereal box with his likeness.

"Really, I couldn't ask for anything else," said Lester, among the likely entries for Saturday night's Ram Tough 200 at Gateway International Raceway near St. Louis.

Honey Nut Cheerios unveiled the promotion Wednesday at an Atlanta YMCA, complete with a high school marching band and dozens of summer campers outfitted in T-shirts bearing the company's logo.

A picture of Lester adorns the front of the box along with a picture of his Dodge truck, and the back panel features information about his career.

"I can't believe my face is going to be on a cereal box," Lester said. "To think about my face being on breakfast tables all over the country is pretty awesome."

It's the latest validation for his developing career, one that started in northern California as an amateur in events sanctioned by the Sports Car Club of America. He got his first break in NASCAR in 1999, driving a Busch Series race at the road course at Watkins Glen, N.Y., and he's in his second season with the Dodge Diversity Program run by Bobby Hamilton Racing.

Climbing higher

Lester won the pole at Lowe's Motor Speedway in May, and finished 10th in a race at Kansas Speedway earlier this month for the best result of his career.

"He's 100 percent better this year than he was last year," said Hamilton, a four-time winner as a driver in the Winston Cup Series. "Last year, he'd get in skirmishes because he was a rookie and people were taking advantage of him.

"He served notice late last year that he wasn't going to take it anymore, and so far this year, nobody's messed with him."

But his duties off the track are just as important. He's a founding member of NASCAR's diversity council, and during Wednesday's announcement, he spent about 15 minutes in the sweltering heat signing autographs and talking to the YMCA campers.

He told them about his own background, his commitment to education (he has a degree from the University of California at Berkeley) and his dedication to his goals.

"I'm a big believer that it only takes one person to change somebody's life," Lester said. "I'm not saying I'm that person for everybody, but if I can just reach one person, that makes all of this worthwhile."

He scoffed at the notion that he's a pioneer in racing, someone comparable to Jackie Robinson. Wendell Scott was the first black driver in NASCAR, and so far, he's the only winner, too.

Scott won a 200-lap race at Jacksonville, Fla., in 1963, even though Buck Baker, a white driver, initially was flagged as the winner. Two hours later, with the predominantly white crowd long gone, a "scoring error" was detected and Scott was declared the official winner.

That all was before Lester's time, and he didn't receive much news about NASCAR growing up in California.

"As I've become more entrenched in NASCAR, needless to say, I've learned more about his accomplishments," Lester said. "He's the real pioneer."

Besides his driving and appearances for his sponsors, Lester works each Monday night as a commentator on "Around the Track," a 30-minute racing show on Fox Sports Net South. That should prepare him for a career after racing, which might not be too far away for the 42-year-old Lester.

"I would have liked to have started my career sooner, but it didn't work out that way," he said. "I feel great, and I think I've got several more years left."