Bill France, Sr.
| Bill France Sr. | |
|---|---|
| Born |
William Henry Getty France September 26, 1909 Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Died | June 7, 1992 (aged 82) Ormond Beach, Florida, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Alzheimer's disease |
| Resting place | Hillside Cemetery Ormond Beach, Florida, U.S. |
| Occupation | Businessman |
| Organization | NASCAR |
| Title | Chief Executive Officer |
| Predecessor | Founder |
| Successor | Bill France Jr. |
| Spouse(s) | Anne Bledsoe |
| Children |
Bill France Jr. Jim France |
William Henry Getty "Bill" France (September 26, 1909 – June 7, 1992), also known as Bill France Sr. or Big Bill, was an American racing driver. He is best known for co-founding and managing NASCAR, a sanctioning body of US-based racing.
France was born in Washington, D. C., the son of Emma Graham, an immigrant from Ireland, and William Henry France. France skipped school as a teenager to make laps in the family Model T Ford at the high-banked 1.5-mile (2.4 km) board track near Laurel, Maryland. He ran laps until there was just enough time to beat his father home. 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.
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. (~$1,600 in 2010 dollars). He began painting houses, then worked at a local car dealership. He set up a car repair shop in Daytona at 316 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 1935 because the track was getting too rutted. 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.
On March 8, 1936, the first race was held on the Daytona Beach Road Course, promoted by local racer Sig Haugdahl. The race was 78 laps long (250 mi or 400 km) for street-legal family sedans sanctioned by the American Automobile Association (AAA) for cars built in 1935 and 1936. The city posted a $5000 purse with $1700 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. France finished fifth. The city lost $22,000.
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