NASCAR Founder Dies

This from Autoweek

William C. (Bill) France, whose firm hand and visionary approach built stock-car racing into one of America's most successful sports and business enterprises, died June 4 at his home in Daytona Beach. He was 74 and had been in failing health for several years.



France was the eldest son of NASCAR and International Speedway Corporation founder, the late William Henry Getty (Big Bill) France and his wife, Anne. Even though he wasn't technically a junior, William C. France often was spoken of as Bill Jr., Little Bill or Billy. He took over from his larger-than-life father as president of NASCAR in January 1972 and spent almost 28 years building the Daytona Beach-based sanctioning body into a billion-dollar industry. He gave that position to Mike Helton in 2000 but remained as chairman of the board and CEO until October 2003, when he stepped aside in favor of his son, Brian Z. France.

Bill France will have to go down in history as one of the giants and geniuses of auto racing; he took a small and regional collection of racing events and turned into one of the most successful forms of motor sport in the world, he stuck deals for television contracts and promotional events that would become the envy of other forms of racing in the United States and the world.

France ranks up there with the likes of Roger Penske and Formula one Boss Bernie Ecclestone for having vision and the testicular fortitude to see it thru and make it a reality. While this writer was never a fan of NASCAR I always admired and respected the way they've been able to take NASCAR form strength to strength and continue to lay a solid foundation for the sport.

It will be interesting to see how the present challenges of declining TV ratings and a possible maturing of the growth of the sport will be addressed by the present generation of the Frances that run the series, will they be able to rise to the challenge with the same sort of determination and creativity that was needed to bring the sport to the heights and popularity that it has reached today?

Only Big Bill knows for sure.

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