Bill France junior

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William Clifton France (born April 4, 1933 in Washington, DC , † June 4, 2007 in Daytona Beach ), also called "Bill junior" and "Little Bill", was the long-time chairman and president of NASCAR , the most important US American Touring car racing series .

Life

France was born in Washington, DC to Anne Bledsoe and William Henry Getty France . In 1935, as a result of the Great Depression, he and his family moved to Daytona Beach , Florida . There he went to Seabreeze High School before attending the University of Florida . He served two years in the United States Navy before embarking on a racing career.

France grew up helping out on racetracks. He sold tickets and helped park the cars on the Daytona Beach Road Course . For 13 months he worked twelve hours a day, seven days a week on the construction of the Daytona International Speedway , where he operated a so-called compactor, a bulldozer and a leveling roller. Once he tried to pull trees out of the swamp with a mule because the motorized equipment got stuck in the swamp.

He competed in motocross races and began participating in enduro races in the 1960s. France started in the motorcycle class of the Baja 1000 in the early 1970s. He also tries motocross races in Daytona. Although the races started with little spectator interest, they developed into the popular Daytona Supercross, which had a significant influence on Daytona Beach Bike Week .

Chairman of NASCAR

After serving as Vice President of NASCAR for six years, Bill France Jr. became President of NASCAR on January 10, 1972 when his father, Bill France Senior, resigned. The International Motorsports Hall of Fame writes about the change in leadership: “Other than the founding of NASCAR itself, Bill Jr.'s appointment to leadership is probably the most significant event in the history of the sanctioning body.” ( “In addition to the actual founding of NASCAR Bill's assumption of the chairmanship is perhaps the most important event in the history of the association. ” ) Under his leadership, NASCAR transformed from a regional sport in the southern states to a national sport in the USA.

He carried on his father's legacy in promoting the growth of the Daytona 500 race of touring cars as well as the Daytona 200 of motorcycles at Daytona International Speedway. During his leadership, the Winston Million was introduced by RJ Reynolds in 1984. Prize money of US $ 1 million was paid out to the driver, who won three of the four previously determined races.

In 1973 the Grand National Series was renamed the Winston Cup, now the Sprint Cup . Championship point prize money increased from $ 750,000 to $ 2 million. By 1998, the master's share rose to $ 2 million.

Television contracts

NASCAR had few races in 1972 that were televised. And the races that were broadcast were integrated into other programs. France therefore signed a deal with Neal Pilson, President of CBS Sports , to broadcast the Daytona 500 from start to finish in 1979. This race was the first live broadcast of a NASCAR race from start to finish. It achieved high ratings, partly due to a snow storm in the American Midwest and Northeast. Richard Petty won the race after leader Donnie Allison and Cale Yarborough collided on the final lap and then attacked each other with fists. The high audience rating and continuous press coverage helped France sign contracts with ESPN in 1980 , TNN in 1990 and TBS . His career peaked with a $ 2.4 billion contract in 1999 for the 2001 NASCAR season.

retirement

In 2000, France handed over the presidency of NASCAR Mike Helton after him cancer had been diagnosed. He made his son Brian France CEO and Chairman of NASCAR in 2003 . He himself remained on the six-person NASCAR board until his death.

The France family continues to control NASCAR in full and has a say in the International Speedway Corporation , which owns various racetracks in the United States. His daughter, Lesa France Kennedy, is its president.

death

France had had cancer since 1999. Although he was on the mend, he never fully recovered from the illness and often had difficulty breathing. Therefore, in 2007 he was hospitalized twice for inpatient treatment. France died on June 4, 2007 at the age of 74 of complications from his illness. His death occurred during the Autism Speaks 400 race at Dover International Speedway , which was postponed due to heavy rain, and was announced during live coverage. In his honor, FOX reporters observed a minute's silence during a restart of the race and the flags on the circuit were lowered to half mast.

Halls of Fame

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Bill Fleischman and Al Pearce. The Unauthorized NASCAR fan guide 1998–1999 , Visible Ink Press, Farmington Hills, Michigan, USA. ISBN 1-57859-111-2
  2. ↑ a b c Biography ( Memento of March 7, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) at the Stock Car Racing Hall of Fame of Oceanside Rotary Club
  3. ↑ a b c Biography at the Motorcycle Hall of Fame ( Memento from April 16, 2007 in the Internet Archive )
  4. ↑ a b c d Biography at the International Motorsports Hall of Fame ( Memento from May 10, 2007 in the Internet Archive )
  5. ↑ Biography at findarticles.com
  6. ↑ a b Biography at the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America ( Memento from September 28, 2007 in the Internet Archive )
  7. ^ ESPN, "Longtime NASCAR chairman France Jr. dies" June 4, 2007
  8. ↑ Automotive Hall of Fame Biography ( Memento from July 1, 2007 in the Internet Archive )
personal data
SURNAME France, Bill junior
ALTERNATIVE NAMES France, William Junior; France, Bill junior; Little Bill
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American racing driver, President of NASCAR
DATE OF BIRTH April 4, 1933
PLACE OF BIRTH Washington, DC
DATE OF DEATH June 4, 2007
Place of death Daytona Beach