Bill France Sr.
Bill France Sr. | |
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Born | William Henry Getty France September 26, 1909 Lesa Kennedy (granddaughter) |
William Henry Getty France (September 26, 1909 – June 7, 1992) was an American businessman and racing driver. He was also known as Bill France Sr. or Big Bill. He is best known for founding and managing
Early life
France was born in
France was familiar with
Early racing career
On March 8, 1936, the first
Haugdahl talked with France, and together they got the Daytona Beach Elks Club to host another event on Labor Day weekend in September 1937. The event was more successful but still lost money despite its $100 purse.[3] Haugdahl didn't promote any more events. France took over the job of running the course in 1938. There were two events in 1938. 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 1939 and 1940. France finished fourth in March, first in July, and sixth in September 1940. Four events were held in 1941.[citation needed]
France was busy planning the 1942 event until the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. 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 1944 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, 1946, Jim and Bill were testing Bill's car on the streets of Cocoa, Florida, when they were stopped for driving 74 mph (119 km/h) in the city limits. Jim was driving and had to pay a $25 fine. 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 1947.
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, 1947, 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, 1948.[5] They discussed uniform rules, insurance coverage, and guaranteed purses.[5]
By 1953, 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, 1953, he proposed a new
He later built the Talladega Superspeedway that opened in 1969.[5]
He served as chairman and
He built the International Motorsports Hall of Fame, which inducted France in its first class on July 25, 1990.
Political activity
France also served as campaign manager for George Wallace during the latter's 1972 effort to achieve the Democratic nomination for President of the United States and permitted Wallace to campaign during the Daytona 500 race held in that year.[7]
Death
France died June 7, 1992, at his home in Ormond Beach, Florida, after suffering from Alzheimer's disease, aged 82.[8][9]
Awards
- He was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1990.
- He was inducted in the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America[10] in 1990.
- He was inducted in the Automotive Hall of Fame in 2004.[5]
- He became a member of the National Motor Sports Press Association (NMPA) Hall of Fame at Darlington, South Carolina.
- He was inducted into the Daytona Beach Stock Car Racing Hall of Fame in 1992.
- He was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame on May 23, 2010.
References
- The Unauthorized NASCAR Fan Guide by Bill Fleischman and Al Pearce, 1999.
- ^ a b c Fleischman, page 2
- ^ WestEgg.com Inflation calculator Archived 2007-08-08 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b c d e Fleischman, page 4
- ^ Fleischman, page 5
- ^ a b c d e Induction in the Automotive Hall of Fame Archived 2016-03-03 at the Wayback Machine, Retrieved August 24, 2007
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2006-11-13. Retrieved 2007-07-11.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Historical Motorsports Stories: The Tale of NASCAR and Good Ol' Governor George Wallace - Racing-Reference.info". www.racing-reference.info. Archived from the original on 2016-08-18.
- ^ Profile Archived August 12, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, nascar.speedtv.com; accessed June 22, 2015.
- ^ Obituary, washingtonpost.com; accessed June 22, 2015.
- ^ Bill France at the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America