Bill france jr. cause of death
Bill France Sr.
American racecar driver and NASCAR founder (–)
For the cabinetmaker, see William France Sr. (cabinetmaker).
William Henry Getty France (September 26, – June 7, ) was an American businessman and racing driver. He was also known as Bill France Sr. or Big Bill.
Interesting facts about bill france sr biography By , France knew it was time for a permanent track to hold the large crowds that were gathering for races at Daytona and elsewhere. June 7, aged 82 Ormond Beach, Florida , U. France knew that promoters needed to organize their efforts. Washington, D.He is best known for founding and managing NASCAR, a sanctioning body of US-based stock car racing.
Early life
France was born in Washington, D.C., the son of Emma Graham, an immigrant from Ireland, and William Henry France. His older brother James is buried in Rock Creek Cemetery, after his death at Big Bill skipped school as a teenager to make laps in the family Model T Ford at the high-banked mile (&#;km) board track near Laurel, Maryland.
He ran laps until there was just enough time to beat his father home.[1] France worked at several jobs before owning and operating his own service station. He built his customer base by waking before dawn and crank-starting customers' cars in the middle of winter.[1]
France was familiar with Daytona Beach'sland speed record history when he moved his family from Washington D.C.
to Daytona in the spring of to escape the Great Depression.
Bill france sr Bill France Sr. There were two events in At nearly 2. Reynolds Tobacco Company became the title sponsor in , a move that changed the name of the series from "Grand National" to "Winston Cup".He had less than $ in his pocket when they left D.C.[1][2] He began painting houses, then worked at a local car dealership. He set up a car repair shop in Daytona at Main Street Station, still in existence today as an event and entertainment venue. Malcolm Campbell and other land speed record competitors decided to stop competing for land speed records at Daytona in favor of the Bonneville Salt Flats later in because the track was getting too rutted.[3] Daytona had lost its claim to fame.
City officials were determined to keep speed-related events, events which had been a mid-winter source of revenue for area hotels and restaurants.[3]
Early racing career
On March 8, , the first stock car race was held on the Daytona Beach Road Course, promoted by local racer Sig Haugdahl.[3] The race was 78 laps long (&#;mi or &#;km) for street-legal family sedans sanctioned by the American Automobile Association (AAA) for cars built in and The city posted a $ purse with $ for the winner.
The race was marred by controversial scoring and huge financial losses to the city. Ticket-takers arrived to find thousands of fans already at the beach track. The sandy turns at the ends of the track became virtually impassable with stuck and stalled cars. Second and third-place finishers protested the results.
Bill france sr nascar: For the cabinetmaker, see William France Sr. Big Bill skipped school as a teenager to make laps in the family Model T Ford at the high-banked 1. He taught himself mechanics in his younger years and took formal training in banking. He ran laps until there was just enough time to beat his father home.
France finished fifth. The city lost $22,[3]
Haugdahl talked with France, and together they got the Daytona Beach Elks Club to host another event on Labor Day weekend in September The event was more successful but still lost money despite its $ purse.[3] Haugdahl didn't promote any more events.
France took over the job of running the course in There were two events in Danny Murphy beat France in the July event. France beat Lloyd Moody and Pig Ridings to win the Labor Day weekend event. Three races each were held in and France finished fourth in March, first in July, and sixth in September Four events were held in [citation needed]
France was busy planning the event until the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor.
Interesting facts about bill france sr biography wikipedia Big Bill skipped school as a teenager to make laps in the family Model T Ford at the high-banked 1. Second and third-place finishers protested the results. Most racing stopped until after the war. Daytona was beginning to lose some of its speed record appeal.France spent World War II working at the Daytona Boat Works while his wife Anne ran the filling station. Most racing stopped until after the war. Bill met Jim Johnstone Sr. in when Jim was stationed at Naval Air Station Daytona Beach, where Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University is currently located. Johnstone had been an auto mechanic in New Jersey, where his father built Indy car engines.
He met France at Bill's filling station and became his race car mechanic. They traveled with their wives and children throughout Florida on the weekends, racing at many small tracks.[citation needed]
On April 6, , Jim and Bill were testing Bill's car on the streets of Cocoa, Florida, when they were stopped for driving 74&#;mph (&#;km/h) in the city limits.
Jim was driving and had to pay a $25 fine.
Interesting facts about bill france sr biography images France was familiar with Daytona Beach's land speed record history when he moved his family from Washington D. Drivers were frequently victimized by unscrupulous promoters who would leave events with all the money before drivers were paid. France was born in Washington, D. After the war, France decided to concentrate on promoting instead of driving.When the war ended, Jim moved his family back to New Jersey to start an auto parts business but remained close friends with Bill for the rest of his life. After the war, France decided to concentrate on promoting instead of driving. In sixteen events at Daytona Beach, France had two victories and six Top-5 finishes.[4] France promoted events at Seminole Speedway immediately after the war.
He built the Occoneechee Speedway in
NASCAR
France knew that promoters needed to organize their efforts. Drivers were frequently victimized by unscrupulous promoters who would leave events with all the money before drivers were paid. On December 14, , France began talks with drivers, mechanics, and car owners at the Ebony Bar at the Streamline Hotel at Daytona Beach, Florida, which ended with the formation of NASCAR on February 21, [5] They discussed uniform rules, insurance coverage, and guaranteed purses.[5]
By , France knew it was time for a permanent track to hold the large crowds that were gathering for races at Daytona and elsewhere.
Hotels were being constructed along the beachfront.
On April 4, , he proposed a new superspeedway called Daytona International Speedway. France began building a new miles (&#;km) superspeedway in to host what would become the new premier event of the series – the Daytona The event debuted in and has been the premier event since.[5]
He later built the Talladega Superspeedway that opened in [5]
He served as chairman and CEO of NASCAR.
R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company became the title sponsor in , a move that changed the name of the series from "Grand National" to "Winston Cup". Reynolds convinced France to drop all dirt tracks and races under miles (&#;km) from the NASCAR schedule in , a move that defined the "modern era" of the sport. Big Bill then turned the reins of NASCAR over to his son Bill France Jr.
France kept an office at the headquarters until the late s.[6]
He built the International Motorsports Hall of Fame, which inducted France in its first class on July 25,
Political activity
France also served as campaign manager for George Wallace during the latter's effort to achieve the Democratic nomination for President of the United States and permitted Wallace to campaign during the Daytona race held in that year.[7] After Wallace ended his campaign, France became the vice chairman of John Connally's Democrats for Nixon that supported Richard Nixon's re-election; he was also a member of the Motorsports Committee for the Reelection of President Nixon alongside various drivers and racing executives.[8]
Death
France died June 7, , at his home in Ormond Beach, Florida, after suffering from Alzheimer's disease, aged [9][10]
Awards
References
- The Unauthorized NASCAR Fan Guide by Bill Fleischman and Al Pearce,
- ^ abcFleischman, page 2
- ^ Inflation calculatorArchived August 8, , at the Wayback Machine
- ^ abcdeFleischman, page 4
- ^Fleischman, page 5
- ^ abcdeInduction in the Automotive Hall of FameArchived March 3, , at the Wayback Machine, Retrieved August 24,
- ^"Archived copy".
Archived from the original on November 13, Retrieved July 11,
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^"Historical Motorsports Stories: The Tale of NASCAR and Good Ol' Governor George Wallace - ".
- Bill france sr nascar
- Interesting facts about bill france sr biography death
- Interesting facts about bill france sr biography children
. Archived from the original on August 18,
- ^Britt, Bloys (October 20, ). "Organization Of Drivers, Car Owners And Promoters For Re-Election Of Nixon". Danville Register & Bee. AP. Retrieved November 5, &#; via
- ^ProfileArchived August 12, , at the Wayback Machine, ; accessed June 22,
- ^Obituary, ; accessed June 22,
- ^Bill France at the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America
External links
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded&#;by Roy Hall | National Stock Car Champion (Unofficial) | Succeeded&#;by Roy Hall |