By Ella Martin
This upcoming fall, Billy Lee III will be heading into the fourth grade at LLT Academy South Bay, except his life has an exciting twist. Lee, whose racing name is B3, is an 8-year-old race car driver.
B3 comes from a third-generation racing family, which is why his love for racing was sparked at such a young age. His father, Bill Lee Jr., is a drag racer, as was his grandfather. His mother, Amy Lee, grew up near an oval track, so she spent lots of time around racers and cars.
For B3’s first birthday, his parents gifted him a shiny, blue Power Wheels Corvette. Around the age of 2, B3 began participating in local Power Wheels racing leagues. His mother explained that the purpose of this league is to “inspire young and old racers.” When B3 was about 3-and-a-half years old, he upgraded to a Power Wheels fire truck, which his father modified to mimic a jet truck. At age 4, B3 was asked to be the opening act at the Night of Fire Jet Truck Show.
This was a turning point for his young career, as he was able to partner with Larsen Motorsports, even getting to sign autographs after the show. However, in early 2020, COVID-19 hit and put a pause on most racing events, but this did not stop B3 from wanting to pursue his dream of professional racing. Amy said that “All B3 wanted to do was race,” which led to him redirecting his focus, and he went on to win three championships as a go-kart racer.
B3 was asked to join the Bandolero Team for Curt Britt Motorsports and participated in numerous races with them. He has raced at several professional speedways, such as winning third place at the Citrus County Speedway in Inverness, achieving a six-time winning streak at Crisp Motorsports Park in Georgia and getting two first-place wins at the Atlanta Motor Speedway. B3 races with the rookie class and is the youngest participant in this category, as most racers are 10 and over and can even include adults.
Over B3’s years of racing, he has received lots of publicity and sponsorships for his amazing accomplishments. During NASCAR weekend in March 2022, Jamie Little from Fox Sports 1 interviewed B3 and featured his story on a national news segment, hoping it would inspire and motivate other kids to chase their dreams.
B3 is currently sponsored by many businesses, including NAPA Auto Parts, Bill Lee’s Professional Automotive, Jax Apparel and Forward Bite. B3 is also seeking additional marketing sponsorship and can be contacted through Amy at 941-993-2135.
