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Bill France, Jr.

Born April 4, 1933
Died June 4, 2007
Nationality United States
Alma mater University of Florida
Known for Served as Head of NASCAR from 1972 - 2000

William Clifton France (April 4, 1933 - June 4, 2007), nicknamed "Bill Jr. Events 1581 - Francis Drake completes a circumnavigation of the world and is knighted by Elizabeth I. Year 1933 ( MCMXXXIII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 781 BC - The first historic Solar eclipse is recorded in China. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The University of Florida ( Florida or UF) is a public land-grant, sea-grant, space-grant major Research The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing ( NASCAR) is the largest sanctioning body of Stock cars in the United States. Year 1972 ( MCMLXXII) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. Events 1581 - Francis Drake completes a circumnavigation of the world and is knighted by Elizabeth I. Year 1933 ( MCMXXXIII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 781 BC - The first historic Solar eclipse is recorded in China. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. " and "Little Bill," was an American motorsports executive who served from 1972 to 2000 as the head of NASCAR, the sanctioning body of United States-based stock car racing. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Auto racing (also known as automobile racing, motor racing or car racing) is a Motorsport involving Racing Cars It The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing ( NASCAR) is the largest sanctioning body of Stock cars in the United States. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Stock car racing is a form of Automobile racing found mainly in the United States, Canada, New Zealand and Great Britain

Contents

Early life

France was born in Washington, D.C. to Anne Bledsoe and William Henry Getty France. Washington DC ( formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D William "Bill" Henry Getty France Sr "Big Bill" ( September 26, 1909 &ndash June 7, 1992) was the co-founder of NASCAR His family moved to Daytona Beach, Florida in 1935 to escape the Great Depression. [1] He attended Seabreeze High School before attending the University of Florida. Seabreeze High School is a High school located in Daytona Beach, Florida. The University of Florida ( Florida or UF) is a public land-grant, sea-grant, space-grant major Research He served for two years in the United States Navy before turning to a career in racing. [2]

France grew up helping at race tracks; he sold concessions and helped park cars at the Daytona Beach Road Course. Daytona Beach Road Course was a Race track that was instrumental in the formation of NASCAR. He worked twelve hours per day, seven days a week for thirteen months with the construction of Daytona International Speedway, where he drove a compactor, bulldozer, and grader. Daytona International Speedway is a Superspeedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. A compactor is a Machine or mechanism used to reduce the size of Waste material or soil through compaction. ----A bulldozer is a crawler ( Caterpillar tracked Tractor) equipped with a substantial metal plate (known as a blade) used to push large quantities A grader, also commonly referred to as a road grader, a blade, a maintainer or a motor grader, is an Engineering vehicle with a large He once tried using a mule to pull trees out of the swamp because motorized equipment was getting stuck. [3]

He rode off road motorcycles, and began competing in enduros in the 1960s. Off Roading is a term for driving a specialized vehicle on unpaved roads such as Sand, Gravel, riverbeds Mud, Snow, Rocks, Enduro is a form of Motorcycle sport run on courses that are predominantly Off-road. France entered the Baja 1000 in the motorcycle division in the early 1970s. Baja 1000 is an off-road race that takes place on Mexico's Baja California Peninsula in the fall He gave the up-and-coming sport of motocross a chance at Daytona in the early 1970s. Motocross is a form of Motorcycle sport or All-terrain vehicle racing held on enclosed Off road circuits The motocross races started with little fanfare, but grew into the popular Daytona Supercross. Supercross is a cycle racing sport involving Racing specialized high performance off-road Motorcycles on an artificially made dirt tracks consisting of steep jumps The supercross inspired the Daytona Beach Bike Week. Daytona Beach Bike Week, also called Daytona Bike Week, is a Motorcycle event and rally held annually in Daytona Beach, Florida. [3]

Head of NASCAR

After serving as vice-president for six years, he became the head of NASCAR when his father Bill France, Sr. retired on January 10, 1972. Events 49 BC - Julius Caesar crosses the Rubicon, signaling the start of civil war. Year 1972 ( MCMLXXII) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. [2] The International Motorsports Hall of Fame describes the transition: "Other than the founding of NASCAR itself, Bill Jr. The International Motorsports Hall of Fame is a Hall of Fame dedicated to enshrining those who have contributed the most to Auto racing either as a driver owner 's appointment to leadership is probably the most significant event in the history of the sanctioning body. " [4] NASCAR went from a Southern regional sport to a national sport during his tenure. The Southern United States &mdashcommonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South &mdashconstitutes a large distinctive [4]

He continued his father's legacy by fostering growth of the Daytona 500 stock car race and Daytona 200 motorcycle race at Daytona International Speedway. The Daytona 500 is a 200-lap long NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race held annually at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach Florida. The Daytona 200 is a 68-lap 200 mile (322 km motorcycle race held annually at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. The Winston Million program was launched by R.J. Reynolds in 1985. The Winston Million was a cash prize award program on the NASCAR Winston Cup series based on the Grand Slam concept R J Reynolds Tobacco Company ( RJR) based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina and founded by R A $1 million bonus was awarded to any driver who could win three of four preselected races. The United States dollar ( sign: $; code: USD) is the unit of Currency of the United States; it has also been

NASCAR's Grand National series was renamed Winston Cup (now Sprint Cup) in 1973. The points fund increased from $750,000 to $2 million. The champions portion of the points fund rose to $2 million by 1998. [5]

Nascar. com was launched in 1996.

Television contracts

NASCAR had few televised races in 1972. Those races that did air in the 1970s were mixed into shows like ABC Wide World of Sports. ABC's Wide World of Sports was a long-running Sports Anthology show on American Television that ran as a series from 1961 to 1998 [6] France signed a deal with CBS Sports' president Neal Pilson to televise the 1979 Daytona 500 from flag to flag. CBS Sports is a division of CBS which airs many of the sports telecasts in the United States. The 1979 Daytona 500 was the second race of the 1979 NASCAR Winston Cup (now Sprint Cup) season The race was the first live flag to flag national coverage of a NASCAR race. The race got high television ratings, partly due to a snowstorm in the Midwest and Northeast. The Northeast is a region of the United States. As defined by the U Richard Petty won the race after race leaders Donnie Allison and Cale Yarborough crashed together on the final lap. Richard Lee Petty (born July 2, 1937) is a former NASCAR driver who raced in the Strictly Stock/Grand National Era and the Winston Cup Series Dunkiny "Donnie" Allison (born September 7, 1939 in Miami Florida) is a former driver on the NASCAR Grand National/ Winston William Caleb (Cale Yarborough (born March 27, 1940 in Timmonsville South Carolina, near the famous Darlington Raceway) is a businessman and Allison's brother Bobby Allison stopped, and Bobby Allison and Yarborough then exchanged punches. Robert Arthur Allison (born December 3, 1937 in Hialeah Florida) is a former NASCAR Winston Cup driver and was named one of NASCAR's The ratings and ensuing press coverage helped France to sign television contracts with ESPN in 1980, TNN in 1990, and TBS. ESPN, originally an acronym for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, is an American Cable television network dedicated to TBS is an American Cable television network that shows sports and a variety of programming with a focus on comedy France's career culminated in a record-setting $2. 4 billion television broadcasting contract in 1999 for the 2001 season. The 1999 NASCAR Winston Cup Season began on Sunday February 7 and ended on Sunday November 21. The 2001 NASCAR Winston Cup season began on February 11 and ended on November 23. [4]

Retirement

France turned the presidency of NASCAR over to Mike Helton in 2000 after being diagnosed with cancer. Michael Helton is currently the president of the National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR Cancer (medical term Malignant Neoplasm) is a class of Diseases in which a group of cells display uncontrolled He made his son Brian France the CEO and chairman of NASCAR in 2003. Brian France (born August 2, 1962) is the CEO and chairman of NASCAR, taking over the position from his father Bill France A chief executive officer ( CEO) or chief executive is typically the highest-ranking corporate officer ( executive) or administrator Bill France, Jr. remained a member of the six person NASCAR board of directors.

The France family continues to own NASCAR outright, and has a controlling interest in race track operator International Speedway Corporation. International Speedway Corporation ( ISC) is a Corporation whose primary business is the ownership and management of NASCAR race tracks France Jr. continued as chairman of the board of ISC, until his death. His daughter Lesa France Kennedy is ISC's president. Lesa France Kennedy (born Lesa Dawn France on May 24, 1961) is the president of International Speedway Corporation and a member of the [7]

Death

France had been suffering from lung cancer for a number of years since being diagnosed with the disease in 1999. Cancer (medical term Malignant Neoplasm) is a class of Diseases in which a group of cells display uncontrolled Although he was in remission, he never fully recovered from the disease and often had difficulty breathing. The disease required him to be hospitalized twice during 2007 and he died on June 4, 2007 at about 1:00 pm due to the illness, same day as his father. Events 781 BC - The first historic Solar eclipse is recorded in China. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. [7] His death occurred during the Autism Speaks 400 NEXTEL Cup race, and his death was reported during the live broadcast of the race. The Best Buy 400 benefiting Student Clubs for Autism Speaks is a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car race held annually at Dover International The FOX Sports broadcasters in the United States held a moment of "silence" during a restart during the race, and the track's flag was lowered to half mast.

Halls of Fame inductions

Additional reading

References

  1. ^ Bill Fleischman and Al Pearce. Events 70 - Titus and his Roman Legions breach the middle wall of Jerusalem in the Siege of Jerusalem Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. The Unauthorized NASCAR fan guide 1998-1999, Visible Ink Press, Farmington Hills, Michigan, USA. ISBN 1-57859-111-2
  2. ^ a b c Biography at the Stock Car Racing Hall of Fame of Oceanside Rotary Club
  3. ^ a b c Biography at the Motorcycle Hall of Fame
  4. ^ a b c d Biography at the International Motorsports Hall of Fame
  5. ^ Biography at findarticles.com
  6. ^ a b Biography at the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America
  7. ^ a b ESPN, "Longtime NASCAR chairman France Jr. dies" June 4, 2007
  8. ^ Automotive Hall of Fame Biography

External links


Persondata
NAME France, William, Jr.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES France, Bill, Jr.
SHORT DESCRIPTION Former NASCAR president
DATE OF BIRTH April 4, 1933
PLACE OF BIRTH Washington, D.C., United States
DATE OF DEATH June 4, 2007
PLACE OF DEATH Daytona Beach, Florida
Events 1581 - Francis Drake completes a circumnavigation of the world and is knighted by Elizabeth I. Year 1933 ( MCMXXXIII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Washington DC ( formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Events 781 BC - The first historic Solar eclipse is recorded in China. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century.
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