William Alexander “Bill” Lester III was born on 6th February 1961, in Washington D.C. USA, and is well known as a former professional racing driver. He became the only African-American who competed full-time in a NASCAR circuit after his race in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Apart from this he is known for taking part in several Nextel Cup Series and the Daytona Prototype category of the Rolex Sports Car Series from 2008 to 2010. Currently, Lester is a member of the National Motorsports Appeals Panel.
Have you ever wondered how rich Bill Lester is? According to sources it has been estimated that Bill Lester’s overall net worth is over $2 million, as of late 2017, accumulated through a successful career in racing, which he started in the late ‘80s.
Bill Lester Net Worth $2 Million
Bill studied at the University of California, Berkeley, from which he graduated in 1984 with a Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and computer science. He was first employed at Hewlett-Packard, before he decided to pursue an auto racing career. His first ventures included the SCCA and IMSA series, and Lester made his debut at Sears Point International Raceway in 1989, finishing 12th in a Chevrolet Camaro. That same year he earned a victory in the Sears Point endurance race. The following year he started running the SCCA for Rocketsports at Portland, after which he took a long break from professional racing until 1996, when he appeared at the Watkins Glen, Elkhart Lake, Sears Point, Wisconsin and Reno events. In 1998 and 1999 he competed in the 24 Hours of Daytona, finishing fifth and tenth respectively, and in the 1999 Busch Series was first African-American to compete, and marked the only time in NASCAR’s race that two African-Americans competed in the same race, when he raced against Bobby Norfleet. His net worth was now established.
At the beginning of the 2000s, he drove full-time for Hamilton in the Craftsman Truck series, and finished as a runner up for NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Rookie of the Year. In 2003, Bill earned his first career pole at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, and finished 10th at Kansas Speedway, eventually finishing 14th in the championship. The following year Lester transferred to Bill Davis Racing which brought him two consecutive poles and first top-five finishes in 2005. He also participated in his first Nextel Cup race, becoming the first African-American to make a Cup race since 1986. In 2006 Bill drove for Billy Ballew, but left NASCAR racing at the end of 2007, to drive in the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series alongside Shane Lewis in 2008, then move to Orbit Racing a year later. Bill also drove for Starworks Motorsport and Autohaus Motorsports. Another of his achievements happened in May 2011, when he won the Grand-Am division at the Virginia International Raceway, and became the first African-American to do so.
When it comes to his private life, Bill is married to Cheryl Lester – the couple has two sons, and the family resides in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
