Bill France founded the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing — NASCAR — 75 years ago this week, on Feb. 21, 1948, in Daytona Beach, Florida.
"He knew Americans could relate to the vehicles on the racetrack. He also knew he could generate support from Detroit by pitting Chevys against Fords."
France boasted mechanical knowledge, fearlessness behind the wheel, a towering physical stature (6 foot 5 inches) and a charismatic personal presence.
He commanded respect from the toughest drivers in the nation — the proverbial backwoods moonshine runners who fueled the early pool of race-car drivers.
He moved to Daytona Beach, Florida, in 1934 with his wife, Anne (Bledsoe) — a nurse and North Carolina native — plus their year-old son Bill Jr. with only "a set of tools and $25 cash," according to one origin legend.
All three Frances became transformative figures in NASCAR.
Anne served as a longtime NASCAR executive. Bill Jr. took over NASCAR from his father, running the circuit from 1972 until 2000.
Daytona was a magnet for speed enthusiasts in the earliest days of the automobile — long before France arrived and even before France was born.
"On the hard-packed sands of Florida’s east coast, the idea of racing automobiles became a reality in 1903,"
English racer Sir Malcolm Campbell astounded onlookers by reaching a record speed of 278.6 MPH on Daytona Beach in 1935, propelled over the land by an aircraft engine.
"Daytona was looking to plug a hole in its economy," said Ken Martin, when it tapped France to help promote its beach-street races in the 1930s.
He took NASCAR off the beaches in the 1950, pushing the sport into its modern era.
He envisioned, planned and funded the racetrack of the future: Daytona International Speedway.
The 2.5-mile speedway opened in 1959. Among its ground-breaking features: 31-degree banking turns that allowed race cars to maintain dramatic speeds in the turns.
France built an even larger track in Alabama, the 2.66-mile Talladega Superspeedway, in 1969.
"He had a vision for building these huge trace tracks, because he knew they'd handle high speeds and attract huge crowds," said Martin.
Daytona International Speedway, France's speedway, remains NASCAR’s premier track.
NASCAR moved the driver’s seat closer to the center of the vehicle, built a "cocoon" around the drivers, mandated head restraints and built soft-barrier walls to absorb some of the impact of a crash.
"Earnhardt’s death was a pivotal moment in our history," said Martin. "It made everyone refocus on safety."
Races have expanded far beyond NASCAR's early southeastern base. NASCAR races are held from California to New England, and from Austin to Milwaukee.
About 2.5 million people attend NASCAR races each year, generating about $200 million in revenue, according to industry data. Millions more watch each race on television.
NASCAR inked an $8.2 billion, 10-year deal with Fox Sports and NBC Sports in 2015.
NASCAR was briefly publicly traded, but is once again run by the France family.
"Big Bill" has enjoyed countless honors in the sports world.
www.foxnews.com
"He knew Americans could relate to the vehicles on the racetrack. He also knew he could generate support from Detroit by pitting Chevys against Fords."
France boasted mechanical knowledge, fearlessness behind the wheel, a towering physical stature (6 foot 5 inches) and a charismatic personal presence.
He commanded respect from the toughest drivers in the nation — the proverbial backwoods moonshine runners who fueled the early pool of race-car drivers.
He moved to Daytona Beach, Florida, in 1934 with his wife, Anne (Bledsoe) — a nurse and North Carolina native — plus their year-old son Bill Jr. with only "a set of tools and $25 cash," according to one origin legend.
All three Frances became transformative figures in NASCAR.
Anne served as a longtime NASCAR executive. Bill Jr. took over NASCAR from his father, running the circuit from 1972 until 2000.
Daytona was a magnet for speed enthusiasts in the earliest days of the automobile — long before France arrived and even before France was born.
"On the hard-packed sands of Florida’s east coast, the idea of racing automobiles became a reality in 1903,"
English racer Sir Malcolm Campbell astounded onlookers by reaching a record speed of 278.6 MPH on Daytona Beach in 1935, propelled over the land by an aircraft engine.
"Daytona was looking to plug a hole in its economy," said Ken Martin, when it tapped France to help promote its beach-street races in the 1930s.
He took NASCAR off the beaches in the 1950, pushing the sport into its modern era.
He envisioned, planned and funded the racetrack of the future: Daytona International Speedway.
The 2.5-mile speedway opened in 1959. Among its ground-breaking features: 31-degree banking turns that allowed race cars to maintain dramatic speeds in the turns.
France built an even larger track in Alabama, the 2.66-mile Talladega Superspeedway, in 1969.
"He had a vision for building these huge trace tracks, because he knew they'd handle high speeds and attract huge crowds," said Martin.
Daytona International Speedway, France's speedway, remains NASCAR’s premier track.
NASCAR moved the driver’s seat closer to the center of the vehicle, built a "cocoon" around the drivers, mandated head restraints and built soft-barrier walls to absorb some of the impact of a crash.
"Earnhardt’s death was a pivotal moment in our history," said Martin. "It made everyone refocus on safety."
Races have expanded far beyond NASCAR's early southeastern base. NASCAR races are held from California to New England, and from Austin to Milwaukee.
About 2.5 million people attend NASCAR races each year, generating about $200 million in revenue, according to industry data. Millions more watch each race on television.
NASCAR inked an $8.2 billion, 10-year deal with Fox Sports and NBC Sports in 2015.
NASCAR was briefly publicly traded, but is once again run by the France family.
"Big Bill" has enjoyed countless honors in the sports world.
Meet the American who created NASCAR: Bill France Sr., Daytona speed demon, racetrack pioneer
Bill France Sr., the American who created NASCAR, did so 75 years ago, on Feb. 21, 1948, in Daytona Beach, Florida — and today it's the world's premier stock car racing circuit.
www.foxnews.com
