The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series arrived in Alabama for the inaugural John Deere 250 at Talladega Superspeedway, and Bill Lester and his Bill Davis Racing team looked forward to their first crack at the 2.66-mile superspeedway. Lester earned one of his best starting spots of the season for the event, but engine problems just past the halfway point of the event forced him to retire from the race. He was scored in the 31st place when the checkered flag waved.

Lester posted top-15 speeds in both practice sessions on the newly repaved track and was the fourth of 36 competitors to qualify Friday morning. Lester posted a speed of 180.058 mph during his two-lap run around the superspeedway, which was fast enough to earn him the eighth spot on the starting grid for Saturday afternoon's event. Unfortunately, after the qualifying run, the crew discovered issues with the transmission on the No. 22 truck and decided to change it. According to NASCAR rules, the transmission change relegated the team to the back of the pack for the start of the race.

The green flag waved for the start of the John Deere 250, and Lester made his way into the top 20 within the first 10 laps. By lap 20, Lester had communicated to the crew that the truck was running well and doing everything he was asking of it. A yellow flag on lap 24 allowed the Bill Davis Racing crew to call Lester onto the pit lane for four fresh tires and fuel. Lester returned to the track in the 18th spot. He told crew chief Doug Wolcott during a caution period 10 laps later that the truck was still great. He then ducked down pit road to top off the fuel tank.

Lester returned to the track after a pit stop on lap 45 of the 94-lap event in 11th place and ran as high as eighth several laps later. On lap 56, Lester reported to the crew that he wasn't sure what was wrong, but the truck's handling had begun to tighten. A yellow flag waved during the following lap, and Lester wasted no time in driving down pit lane to the attention of his crew. The truck was not under power when Lester arrived in his pit stall, and he was unable to restart the engine. The crew checked under the hood in an effort to diagnose the problem. After discovering that it was an engine issue, the team retired from the race. Lester was credited with a 31st-place finish in the event.

The Craftsman Truck Series takes a weekend off before it returns to Martinsville (Va.) Speedway for the Kroger 200. Oct. 21.