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William France, Nascar's Vice Chairman, Dies at 74
05/06/2007 |
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William C. France Jr., who took the seeds of his family's regional auto-racing business and produced a billion-dollar enterprise second only to football among U.S. sports fans, died today. He was 74.
France was vice chairman of Nascar and chairman of automobile racetrack operator International Speedway Corp. The son of National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing founder William Henry Getty France, he became the head of Nascar, the biggest U.S. auto-racing organization, after his father retired in 1972. France Jr. turned over the job of chief executive officer and chairman of Nascar to his son Brian France in 2003.
``France was a major force, if not the major force, in the rise of Nascar,'' said Jon Ackley, a Virginia Commonwealth University professor who teaches a course on the business of Nascar. ``France's recognition of the relationship between technology and bringing racing closer to the fans is perhaps his biggest contribution.''
France died at his home in Daytona Beach, Florida, shortly after 1 p.m. New York time, Nascar spokeswoman Traci Eberts said. The cause of death was not known. A race in Nascar's top series, the Nextel Cup, was being run at the time in Dover, Delaware.
France was married in 1957 to Betty Jane Zachary, who still serves as assistant secretary of Nascar. His daughter Lesa France Kennedy is president of International Speedway, and brother James France, 62, became chairman of the company immediately upon his death, spokesman David Talley said.
Moment of Silence
After France's death was announced during today's race at about 2:20 p.m., announcers observed a moment of silence during a restart. A U.S. flag was lowered to half-staff at the Dover track.
``He blazed so many trails for our sport,'' Mike Helton, who became president of Nascar in 2000, said in a statement. ``He was determined to follow the vision of his father, while also expanding on that vision. Over nearly four decades, he did a masterful job.''
France had a mild heart attack while at a Nascar race in Japan in 1997. In 1999, he was diagnosed and treated for cancer. France never revealed the type of cancer involved.
He was born April 4, 1933, in Washington, and moved with his family in 1935 to Daytona Beach, Florida. William France Sr. organized track operators and racers around the U.S. Southeast and formed Nascar in 1948.
School, Service
France graduated from Seabreeze High School in Daytona Beach, Florida, in 1951 and attended the University of Florida at Gainesville from 1951 to 1952. He served in the U.S. Navy from 1953 to 1955 before returning to the family business.
He helped to build Daytona International Speedway and was added to the track's board in 1959. France raced cars and motorcycles in the 1960s and 1970s. He competed in several motocross events and competed on a motorcycle in the Baja 1000 off-road race in the early 1970s.
``The world of racing has lost a true innovator in Bill France Jr., who made Nascar the premier sport it is today,'' said Bill Dewar, North American vice president of vehicle sales, service and marketing for General Motors Corp. ``His vision, tenacity and friendship will be missed. He left the sport better and provided the foundation for continued growth.''
France brought the association to national attention when he signed R.J. Reynolds tobacco as the series sponsor in 1973. Six years later he convinced CBS television to broadcast the Daytona 500 race live nationwide. Nascar says it is now the second-most-watched sport on U.S. television, after the National Football League.
Richest
France ranked 512th among the world's richest people in 2006, with an estimated net worth of $1.5 billion, according to Forbes magazine. He was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in Talladega, Alabama, in May 2004.
Shares of Daytona Beach-based International Speedway, the biggest U.S. racetrack operator, rose 45 cents to close at $53.31. The company's tracks include Daytona International Speedway, Talladega Superspeedway and Darlington Raceway.
France's family is still making plans for his funeral and no date has been announced, Talley said.
(Source: Bloomberg.com)
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