No 15 Billy Ballew Motorsports Chevy Silverado driver Bill Lester. (VPS Motorimages Photo)

What works the best setting up a truck for the race to the checkered flag - a computer or old-fashioned, seat-of-the-pants feel?

Bill Lester, driver of the No. 15 Bowen Family Homes Chevrolet, one of NASCAR's few national series drivers holding an engineering degree, believes it's a combination of both.

"I have been racing for a long time and rely on the old school way of communication through feel and track knowledge," said the University of California-Berkeley graduate. "But because of my Electrical Engineering and Computer Science degree, I understand the mechanics of what the truck is doing.

"I understand why the tires might grip better on different parts of the race track, why to run certain lines on the track and when to ease up on the throttle."

The No. 15 Chevy Silverado at California Speedway. (VPS Motorimages Photo)

Crew chief Richie Wauters, a five-time series winner, thinks Lester's engineering background will pay dividends as the season progresses. The Billy Ballew Motorsports team finished 11th at Daytona in an auspicious start to the 2007 season.

"No computer could give you the feedback that a good driver communicates to you," said Wauters. "But, yes, it helps that Bill has an engineering background because his feedback is more thorough, technical and precise."

Adds Lester, "Overall, though, it is feel and intuition that gives the best feedback."