Bill France Jr.:
Bill France Jr. is the son of NASCAR founder Bill France Sr. While the sport would not exist at all without the senior France it was the son that had the vision drive to make NASCAR what it is today.
Birth:
April 4th, 1933 in Washington, DC
Early Years:
Bill France Jr. was certainly his father's son. Both men had a deep love of motorsports and the drive and determination to see their vision become a reality.
After attending college and joining the Navy in the early 50's Bill was 23 years old when he went to work for his father in 1956.
Bill France Jr. worked his way up in the sport that his father created. He started out working for the company that became International Speedway Corp. and then eventually into NASCAR itself.
France Jr. did whatever needed to be done. He was a flagman, official, scorer, promoter and more in his NASCAR career.
Bill France Jr. Takes The Reigns:
In 1972 Bill France Jr. ushered in the modern era of NASCAR when he took the reigns from his father. Although Winston had joined the series a year earlier as title sponsor it was after Bill France Jr. took the reigns a year later that he trimmed the schedule to a manageable 31 races and eliminated all dirt track racing.
This was the beginning of the modern era of NASCAR.
Bill France Junior's Legacy:
It was under Bill France Junior's guidance that NASCAR finally blossomed. NASCAR had been mostly a southeastern phenomenon when Bill France Jr. took control. Bill Jr. put NASCAR on the national stage.
"Little" Bill France got NASCAR on live television for the first time. He expanded the schedule to include new markets and helped the sport explode in popularity. This brought additional sponsors into the sport and NASCAR hit the big time.
Bill France Jr. Winding Down:
Bill France Jr. had a heart attack in 1997 and then was diagnosed with cancer in 1999. That year Bill France Jr. passed the day-to-day operation of NASCAR to Mike Helton. However, he remained President of NASCAR for one more year.
In 2000 France named Mike Helton President of NASCAR but retained his status as CEO and Chairman of the Board.
Then in October of 2003 Bill France Jr. passed his remaining titles to his son Brian France who has been at the strategic helm of NASCAR ever since. Bill named himself "co-vice chairman of NASCAR" with his brother Jim and retained that title for his remaining days.
The Checkered Flag:
On Monday June 4th, 2007 as NASCAR fans gathered in Dover, DE for the rain-postponed NEXTEL Cup race originally scheduled for the day before Bill France Jr. passed away at home. He was 74 years old.
