In 1972, Bill France Jr. was handed the reins to the family business after decades of learning how to drive it. Known as Bill Jr. even after his father passed away in 1992, he took the business Bill Sr. had created and elevated it to unprecedented heights no one, except perhaps Bill Jr., could have foreseen. In any industry, he would be considered an overwhelming success; in this industry, his accomplishments are phenomenal.<\/p>\n
The \u201cfamily business,\u201d after all, is NASCAR.<\/p>\n
In his 2010 biography of Bill France Jr., H.A. Branham sums up the effect that Bill Sr. and Bill Jr. had on the sport: \u201cBill Sr. created NASCAR. Bill Jr. made NASCAR.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eighteen months after Bill Jr. was born in Washington, DC, Bill Sr. moved his small family to Daytona Beach, FL, in autumn 1934 and quickly became involved in the area\u2019s burgeoning auto-racing scene. Over the next 13 years, Bill Sr. evolved from driver to race promoter and organizer to, ultimately, creator of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing.<\/p>\n
Bill Jr. turned 15 during NASCAR\u2019s inaugural season and, in the years that followed, helped his father build the sport in the most literal sense of the word. No job was too small for Bill Jr.<\/p>\n
\u201cI did just about every job there was to do,\u201d he recalled in a 2003 Los Angeles Times article. \u201cI even raced a few times but not enough to get serious. I\u2019ve been a corner worker, a flagman, even chief steward. I think, to run a sanctioning body like NASCAR, it\u2019s important to have that background.\u201d<\/p>\n
From promoting and scoring events to working concessions and taking tickets, France tried his hand at every aspect of the business, often adding an inventive touch to the job.<\/p>\n
When the concession stands ran out of flavored syrup, for example, he persuaded patrons to purchase plain snow cones. To discourage spectators attempting to watch the races without buying a ticket, he posted signs warning \u201cBeware of Rattlesnakes\u201d near popular viewing areas and in some cases, simply pulled people from the fences.<\/p>\n
Branham, a managing director of communications for NASCAR, remembers France\u2019s describing his role as unofficial NASCAR bouncer: \u201c[Bill Jr. would] say, \u2018And sometimes, I had to haul ass because the guy I pulled off the fence was a hell of a lot bigger than me.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
France\u2019s contributions to NASCAR extended to the actual construction of Daytona International Speedway.<\/p>\n
\u201c[Bill Jr.] and his dad were, in effect, part of the crew, literally building Daytona International Speedway not just with their minds but with their hands,\u201d says Branham. \u201cA guy who, when he died, was rich many times over actually built the Speedway that helped build his fortune.\u201d<\/p>\n
In 1972, France was named president of the sport his father had created less than 25 years earlier. In the next 25 years, he would transform NASCAR from a regional pastime into what NBC\u2019s Tom Brokaw has called \u201cthe greatest American sport.\u201d<\/p>\n
Twenty years after its inaugural run, the Daytona 500 was televised live flag to flag on CBS Sports in 1979. During France\u2019s tenure, NASCAR evolved from a Southeast-centric sport to a national phenomenon, with races spanning the country from California to Boston and drivers hailing from Indiana to Washington.<\/p>\n
He also spearheaded the broadcast deal that, 20 years after the 1979 Daytona 500, consolidated NASCAR into a single television product worth a record-setting $2.4 billion.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe got a lot done together, even though we may have differed on how to get things done,\u201d says Brian France, who replaced his father as NASCAR\u2019s Chairman and CEO in 2003. \u201cProbably every major decision I had to make, I would check in with him in some way, not necessarily for his complete approval but at least for his point of view, even if I knew he was going to have different point of view than I did. Certainly if I was ever in trouble with something or had a big problem, he would be the first call I\u2019d make.\u201d<\/p>\n
From a sport that, for years, appeared on television only as part of ABC\u2019s Wide World of Sports<\/i>, France grew NASCAR into a multimillion-dollar business drawing national television audiences second only to the NFL\u2019s.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was a great man, and not a day goes by that I don\u2019t miss him,\u201d says David Hill, chairman and chief executive officer of Fox Sports Media Group.<\/p>\n
From 1972 to 2000, France ran NASCAR with dedication, unparalleled work ethic, and, above all, a love of the sport his father had created.<\/p>\n
\u201cBill loved NASCAR,\u201d said NASCAR Director of Event Logistics Gary Smith in the biography. \u201cIt was not just the family business but a way of life to Bill. It seemed that you couldn\u2019t separate Bill from NASCAR. When that man got up in the morning, he was NASCAR, and, when he went to bed at night, he was NASCAR, and, most of the time in between, he was NASCAR. He absolutely loved what he did for a living, like no one else I have ever met.\u201d<\/p>\n
Often the first to arrive and the last to leave the office, France remained devoted to moving the sport forward until his death in 2007.<\/p>\n
\u201cHere\u2019s the deal with the way my father was: You knew he loved everybody but he was still John Wayne, by God, all the way until the end of his life,\u201d says Brian France. \u201cI think he looked at death like he looked at life, very pragmatically. It was like, everybody had a time limit and you needed to do your life\u2019s work and what matters with your family and one day. One day, if you\u2019re lucky, the end of it comes late in life. If not, that\u2019s way it goes.\u201d<\/p>\n
A multimillion-dollar business exponentially larger than when Bill Jr. took control, NASCAR remains a family affair: son Brian France is chairman and CEO; daughter Lesa France Kennedy is CEO of International Speedway Corp.; brother Jim France is vice chairman and executive VP of NASCAR; and Betty Jane France, Bill Jr.\u2019s wife of 50 years, remains dedicated to the sport through humanitarian causes.<\/p>\n
\u201cBill France Jr. was an extraordinary man, an outstanding leader, but, most important, a wonderful father,\u201d says Kennedy. \u201cHe was tough but fair. Every day around him was a learning experience both in terms of business and life. I loved him dearly and miss him every day.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":834,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"tags":[25],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sportsbroadcastinghalloffame.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/inductees\/469"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sportsbroadcastinghalloffame.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/inductees"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sportsbroadcastinghalloffame.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/inductees"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sportsbroadcastinghalloffame.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/834"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sportsbroadcastinghalloffame.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=469"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sportsbroadcastinghalloffame.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=469"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}