William "Bill" Henry Getty France, Sr. "Big Bill" (September 26, 1909-June 7, 1992), was the co-founder of NASCAR, the sanctioning body of United States-based stock car racing. is the 269th day of the year (270th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1909 (MCMIX) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Thursday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... June 7 is the 158th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (159th in leap years), with 207 days remaining. ... Year 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar). ... The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) is the largest sanctioning body of motorsports in the United States. ... This article is about the sport of stock car racing. ...

Background

France was born in Washington, D. C. to Emma Graham, an immigrant from Northern Ireland, and William Henry France. France skipped school as a teenager to make laps in the family Model T Ford at the high banked 1 1/1 mile 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.^[1] 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's land speed record history when he moved his family from Washington D.C. to Daytona in the spring of 1935 to escape the Great Depression. He had less than $100 (US) in his pocket when they left D.C.^{[2] [1]} He began painting houses, and then worked at a local car dealership. He set up a car repair shop in Daytona. 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 1935 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] ... Northern Ireland is a part of the United Kingdom lying in the northeast of the island of Ireland, covering 5,459 square miles (14,139 km², about a sixth of the islands total area). ... 1908 Ford Model T advertisement The Model T (colloquially known as the Tin Lizzie and the Flivver) was an automobile produced by Henry Fords Ford Motor Company from 1908 through 1928. ... Official starter Barney Oldfield beside racer Ralph Hepburn at Fulford-Miami Speedway board track on February 22, 1926, courtesy of the Florida Photographic Collection Board track racing was a type of racing where the track had a surface of wood boards. ... Motto: Progressio Per Populum (Progress Through People) Location of Laurel in Maryland Coordinates: Country United States State Maryland County Prince Georges County Incorporated 1870 Mayor Craig A. Moe City Council Ward 1: Janis L. Robison Ward1: Gayle Snyder Ward2: Frederick Smalls (Pr. ... Service station is a term with different meanings in different parts of the world: In the United States and Canada, it refers to a filling station that also offers such services as oil change and mechanical repairs to automobiles. ... Daytona Beach in 2005 Daytona Beach is a city in Volusia County, Florida, USA. As of 2004, the population estimates recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 64,422. ... Daytona Beach Road Course was a race track that was instrumental in the formation of NASCAR. It originally became famous as the location where fifteen world land speed records were set. ... Aerial photo (looking NW) of the Washington Monument and the White House in Washington, DC. Washington, D.C., officially the District of Columbia (also known as D.C.; Washington; the Nations Capital; the District; and, historically, the Federal City) is the capital city and administrative district of the United... The Great Depression was a time of economic down turn, which started after the stock market crash on October 29, 1929, known as Black Tuesday. ... Portrait of Sir Malcolm Campbell (undated), courtesy of the Florida Photographic Collection Sir Malcolm Campbell (born March 11, 1885 in Chislehurst, Kent, England - died December 31, 1948 in Reigate, Surrey, England) was a racing motorist and motoring journalist. ... A land speed record being set at Bonneville Salt Flats Bonneville Speedway is an area of the Bonneville Salt Flats near Wendover, Utah, that is marked out for motor sports. ...

Racing career leads to promoter career

On March 8, 1936, 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 (250 miles) for street-legal family sedans sanctioned by the American Automobile Association (AAA) for cars built in 1935 and 1936.^[3] The city posted a $5000 purse with $1700 for the winner.^[3] 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 impassible with stuck and stalled cars. Second and third place finishers protested the results.^[3] France finished fifth. The city lost $22,000.^[3] is the 67th day of the year (68th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1936 (MCMXXXVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... This article is about the sport of stock car racing. ... Daytona Beach Road Course was a race track that was instrumental in the formation of NASCAR. It originally became famous as the location where fifteen world land speed records were set. ... Haugdahl and his Wisconsin Special car in 1924, courtesy of the Florida Photographic Collection. ... The AAA logo AAA (read triple-A), also known by its historic name of the American Automobile Association, is an American not-for-profit automobile lobby group and service organization that provides its members with many member benefits and services including but not limited to Nationwide Emergency Road Side Assistance...

Haugdahl talked with France, and they talked the Daytona Beach Elks Club to host another event on Labor Day weekend in September 1937.^[3] The event was more successful, but still lost money despite its $100 purse.^[3] Haugdahl didn't promote any more events. Labour Day (or Labor Day) is an annual holiday that resulted from efforts of the labour union movement, to celebrate the economic and social achievements of workers. ...

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.

There were three races in 1939. There were three races in 1940. France finished fourth in March, first in July, and sixth in September. Four events were held in 1941.

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. 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] Car racing returned to the track in 1946. Combatants United States Empire of Japan Commanders Husband Kimmel Walter Short others Chuichi Nagumo Tamon Yamaguchi Chuichi Hara Mikawa Gunichi Sentaro Omori others Strength 8 battleships, 8 cruisers, 29 destroyers, 9 submarines, ~50 other ships, ~390 aircraft 6 aircraft carriers, 9 destroyers, 2 battleships, 2 heavy cruisers, 1 light cruiser... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000...

NASCAR founder and head

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 at the Ebony Bar at the Streamline Hotel at Daytona Beach, Florida that ended with the formation of NASCAR on February 21, 1948. He built the Occoneechee Speedway in 1947. is the 348th day of the year (349th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1947 (MCMXLVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1947 calendar). ... Daytona Beach in 2005 Daytona Beach is a city in Volusia County, Florida, USA. As of 2004, the population estimates recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 64,422. ... is the 52nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1948 (MCMXLVIII) was a leap year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1948 calendar). ... Occoneechee Speedway was one of the first two NASCAR tracks to open and is the only track remaining from the inaugural, 1949 season. ...

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 popping up all along the beachfront. On April 4, 1953, France proposed a new superspeedway called Daytona International Speedway. France began building a new 2.5 mile superspeedway in 1956 to host what would become the new premiere event of the series – the Daytona 500. The event debuted in 1959, and has been the premiere event since. is the 94th day of the year (95th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1953 (MCMLIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... In North American motorsports, a superspeedway is a race track over one mile (1. ... Daytona International Speedway is a superspeedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. ... The Daytona 500 is a 200-lap, 500 mile (805 km) NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series race held annually at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. ...

He later built the Talladega Superspeedway which opened in 1969. Talladega Superspeedway is a motorsports complex located in Talladega, AL. It was constructed in the 1960s in place of abandoned airport runways by International Speedway Corporation, a business controlled by NASCARs founding France family along with Daytona International Speedway and several other racetracks. ...

He served as Chairman and CEO of NASCAR. R.J. Reynolds became the title sponsor in 1970, 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 100 miles from the NASCAR schedule in 1972, a move that defined the "modern era" of the sport. Big Bill then turned the reigns of NASCAR over to his son Bill France Jr. France kept an office at the headquarters until the late 1980s [2]. Chief Executive Officer (CEO) is the job of having the ultimate executive responsibility or authority within an organization or corporation. ... Richard Joshua R.J. Reynolds (1850-1918) was an American businessman and founder of the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company. ... William Clay France, Jr. ...

He built the International Motorsports Hall of Fame, which inducted France in its first class on July 25, 1990. 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, developer or engineer. ... is the 206th day of the year (207th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1990 (MCMXC) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1990 Gregorian calendar). ...

Awards

• He was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1990.
• He was inducted in the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 1990.
• He became a member of the National Motor Sports Press Association (NMPA) Hall of Fame at Darlington, South Carolina.
• He was inducted in the Daytona Beach Stock Car Racing Hall of Fame in 1992.

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, developer or engineer. ... The Motorsports Hall of Fame of America is a Hall of Fame and museum in Novi, Michigan for American motorsports legends. ...

Reference

The Unauthorized NASCAR Fan Guide by Bill Fleischman and Al Pearce, 1999.

Footnotes

The Richmond Times-Dispatch (RTD or TD for short) is the primary daily newspaper in Richmond, Virginia the capital of Virginia, and is commonly considered the newspaper of record for events occurring in much of the state. ... is the 179th day of the year (180th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ...

External links

• NASCAR succession history
• NASCAR history
• Daytona Beach Stock Car Racing Hall of Fame