Bill france sr race car driver

Bobby allisons wreck at the winston 500 ushered in restrictor plates and changed stock car auto racing in the united states forever. Nascar moves on from brian france, enters new era with jim. He founded nascar in 1948 and led the organization. The company is headquartered in daytona beach, florida. Nascar, the national association for stock car auto racing, is conceived. Brians father and predecessor jim hunter, a former driver, reporter and track official, served as nascars spokesman from the time dale earnhardt sr. Lloyd seay was regarded by nascar founder bill france, sr. He is best known for cofounding and managing nascar, a sanctioning body of united statesbased stock car racing. September 26, 1909june 7, 1992, also known by bill france sr. Louise smith was one of the true pioneers of early stock car racing, running modifieds from 1946 thru 1956, and actually competing in the first stock car race she ever saw. The worlds largest governing body for stock car racing is the. February 15, 1948 nascar runs its first race in daytona beach at the beach road course. What he needed, he decided, was a female driver who could handle the challenges of the track and hopefully bring more women out to the races. Nascar renames championship trophy the bill france cup.

I know in 1969 i didnt race with the rest of the guys in talladega because i felt if i didnt go with them that could come back to haunt me when i raced against them and i told bill sr. The story goes that le mans organizers were attempting to spice up their game. At 76, morgan shepherd still making left turns at the. He is one of the most important figures in american racing history and is responsible for nascars. France born william henry getty france american race car driver, best known for cofounding and managing nascar. Skip barber, bill scott, jim jenkins, and fred opert, among others. The forgotten figure behind daytona international speedway. He was born in the year of the rooster, which means. By all accounts, the race never should have happened, but nascar president bill france sr. The trophy design will be updated as the race schedule evolves, and new tracks are introduced to nascar cup series competition. Bill france, the head of nascar, invited geoff bodine and dale earnhardt to headquarters in daytona. Since being founded in 1948 as the first organized stock car racing league by driver bill france, sr.

The award was presented thursday night during the annual nascar cup series awards banquet at the wynn on the las vegas strip, along with another award that is not presented every year. The award is given for outstanding contribution in the field of stock car racing and named in honor of mactavish for his contributions to new england racing. Yakima speedway racers and fans public group facebook. He was a race car driver in his own right prior to the formation of nascar, becoming the national stock car champion in 1940. Lesa france kennedy second from right, chief executive officer of international speedway corporation and granddaughter of bill france sr. William henry getty france 1909 1992, also known as bill france sr. The national association for stock car auto racing nascar is an american auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stockcar racing. He succeeded his father, nascar founder bill france sr. As of 2014, nascar is the largest sanctioning body of stock car racing in the united states.

Nascar announces nominees for nascar hall of fame class of. Drivers wives were also pressed into service to score the race. Brian france, who had served as nascar chairman and ceo since 2003, was never as visible as his father, bill france jr. He and richard petty are both members of the nascar hall of fame class of 2010. When the daytona circuit opened, i ran the first race even finished fifth. Leaning on his experience with sports car racing, france helped drive changes geared at improving the quality of each of nascars 36 races and reducing costs for current owners and future ones. Some of the best formula ford drivers of the day showed up. Traditionally, races are run on oval tracks measuring approximately 0. William clifton bill france, nicknamed, bill france jr. He taught himself mechanics in his younger years and took formal training in banking.

However, the track didnt have much of a future if it didnt smooth out the finances and establish a better organization. Learn about bill s life, his birthday, zodiac sign, and real facts here. Janet guthrie, the first female to compete in a nascar cup series superspeedway race. The greenville, south carolina resident helped bill france, sr. He found his driver in greenville, south carolina, in a woman named louise smith. Mike helton, named third president of nascar in 2000. William henry getty france, aka, big bill france, gathered together a group of racing promoters, drivers, and mechanics with the dream of establishing an organization to set a standard set of rules and. Nascar cup series champion to receive bill france cup. Nascar is second to the national football league for television ratings in the united. Late race car driver most famous for being one of the founders of nascar. Stock car racing is a form of automobile racing found mainly and most prominently in the united states and canada, with new zealand, australia, mexico, great britain and brazil also having forms of stock car auto racing.

William henry getty france september 26, 1909 june 7, 1992, also known as bill france sr. Nascar drivers confident with jim france charting new. He participated in the firstever stock car race at the daytona beach road course on march 8, 1936, finishing in fifth place. Donald mactavish fatal crash at daytona 22 february 1969. Pontiac had the entire field covered that year in terms of raw speed, but in the week of practice before the race, junior, driving a yearold chevrolet, was credited with being the first driver to discover drafting as a way to get more performance out of. The privatelyowned company was founded by bill france sr. He is one of the most important figures in american racing history and is responsible for nascars initial survival and growth, as well as some of its. With me, its just ive been here since bill france sr. It is even more remarkable considering lloyd seay never competed in a nascar race. Earl served as a car designer for general motors before becoming nascars second commissioner. In 2001, mactavish was posthumously inducted into the new england auto racers hall of fame. Richard childress, rick hendrick, geoff bodine and dale earnhardt all sat down in the office of bill france. Dont expect a nascar miracle now that brian france is out.

France did not invent stock car racing which is different than races between openwheel, purposebuilt race cars like those that compete in the indy 500 but he would become the man who made it an american tradition. Thats high praise from the man who organized and nurtured stock car racing into the slick production it is today. Saxton lloyd, a car dealership owner who gave france his first job as a. Wendell oliver scott august 29, 1921 december 23, 1990 was an american stock car.

Trackpass on nbc sports gold is offering free access to its documentaries, including the nascar hall of fame biography series that features nascar founder bill france sr. The organization sanctions over 1500 races at over 100 tracks in 39 states. Bill frances first real job was as a bank clerk his father worked at the park savings bank, so. Bill france moved to florida in 1934, and by 1936, he was racing on the sands of. When construction finished, nascar founder bill france sr. Every driver inducted in the nascar hall of fame, from bill france jr. Americans in paris, nascar goes to le mans motorsport. Junior johnson leaves a lasting legacy in nascars h. Starting back in the late 1940s with big bill france, the france family is the reason why nascar exists today. The 12 most legendary racing families in nascar history. The national association for stock car auto racing was founded by bill france sr. Past recipients of the award have included bill france, sr.