Bill Lester's chances of landing a Nextel Cup ride in 2007 have dimmed with news that he has left the Bill Davis Racing fold to sign a full-time Craftsman Truck Series deal with Billy Ballew Motorsports.

Lester, who became the first black driver to start a Nextel Cup race in 20 years when he qualified for the March race at the Atlanta Motor Speedway had been looking at securing a limited Cup programme at least in 2007 with BDR and Toyota, for whom he has driven the last couple of Truck seasons with. However no that Lester has left the BDR fold that now looks unlikely.

While Lester has at least secured a full time ride in one of the top three NASCAR series,' Billy Ballew Motorsports do not have a Cup or Busch Series programme and Lester must now seek occasional Cup outings around his NCTS commitments.