Bill France Jr.

Bill France Jr.
Born	William Clifton France April 4, 1933 Washington, D.C.
Died	June 4, 2007 (aged 74) Daytona Beach, Florida, U.S.
Cause of death	Lung cancer
Resting place	Daytona Memorial Park Daytona Beach, Florida, U.S.
Alma mater	University of Florida
Known for	Served as Head of NASCAR from 1972 to 2000
Spouse(s)	Betty Jane
Children	Brian, Lesa
Parent(s)	Bill France Sr., Anne Bledsoe

William Clifton "Bill" France (April 4, 1933 – June 4, 2007), nicknamed, "Bill France Jr." or "Little Billy", was an American motorsports executive who served from 1972 to 2000 as the chief executive officer (CEO) of NASCAR, the sanctioning body of the US-based . He succeeded his father, NASCAR founder Bill France Sr. as its CEO. His son, Brian France, has been CEO since 2003.

France was born in Washington, D.C., to Anne Bledsoe and William Henry Getty France. His family moved to Daytona Beach, Florida in 1935 to escape the Great Depression. He attended Seabreeze High School before attending the University of Florida. He served for two years in the United States Navy before turning to a career in racing.

France grew up helping at race tracks; he sold concessions and helped park cars at the Daytona Beach Road Course. He worked twelve hours per day, seven days a week for thirteen months with the construction of Daytona International Speedway, where he drove a compactor, bulldozer, and grader. He once tried using a mule to pull trees out of the swamp because motorized equipment was getting stuck.

He rode off-road motorcycles, and began competing in enduros in the 1960s. France entered the Baja 1000 in the motorcycle division in the early 1970s. He gave the up-and-coming sport of a chance at Daytona in the early 1970s. The motocross races started with little fanfare, but grew into the popular Daytona Supercross. The supercross inspired the Daytona Beach Bike Week.

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