De Wikipedia, la enciclopedia libre
  (Redirigido de Bill France, Sr. )
Saltar a navegación Saltar a búsqueda
Para el ebanista, consulte William France Sr. (ebanista) .
Bill France Sr.
Nació
William Henry Getty Francia

(1909-09-26)26 de septiembre de 1909
Washington, DC , EE. UU.
Fallecido7 de junio de 1992 (1992-06-07)(82 años)
Ormond Beach, Florida , Estados Unidos
Lugar de descansoCementerio Hillside, Ormond Beach, Florida, EE. UU.
OcupaciónEmpresario
OrganizaciónNASCAR
TítuloDirector ejecutivo
PredecesorFundador
SucesorBill France Jr.
Esposos)Anne Bledsoe
NiñosBill France Jr.
Jim France
ParientesBrian France (nieto)
Lesa Kennedy (nieta)

William Henry Getty France (26 de septiembre de 1909 - 7 de junio de 1992), también conocido como Bill France Sr. o Big Bill , fue un empresario y piloto de carreras estadounidense. Es mejor conocido por fundar y administrar NASCAR , un organismo sancionador de las carreras de autos de serie con sede en Estados Unidos .

Vida temprana [ editar ]

France nació en Washington, DC , hijo de Emma Graham, una inmigrante de Irlanda , y William Henry France. Francia se saltó la escuela cuando era adolescente para dar vueltas en el Ford Modelo T familiar en la pista de tablas de 1,5 millas (2,4 km) cerca de Laurel, Maryland . Corrió vueltas hasta que hubo tiempo suficiente para vencer a su padre en casa. [1] Francia trabajó en varios trabajos antes de poseer y operar su propia estación de servicio . Construyó su base de clientes despertando antes del amanecer y arrancando los autos de los clientes en medio del invierno. [1]

Francia estaba familiarizada con el historial de récords de velocidad en tierra de Daytona Beach cuando trasladó a su familia de Washington DC a Daytona en la primavera de 1935 para escapar de la Gran Depresión . Tenía menos de $ 100 en el bolsillo cuando se fueron de DC [1] [2] Comenzó a pintar casas y luego trabajó en un concesionario de automóviles local. Estableció un taller de reparación de automóviles en Daytona en 316 Main Street Station, que todavía existe hoy como lugar de eventos y entretenimiento. Malcolm Campbell y otros competidores récord de velocidad en tierra decidieron dejar de competir por los récords de velocidad en tierra en Daytona a favor de Bonneville Salt Flats más tarde en 1935 porque la pista se estaba llenando de baches. [3]Daytona había perdido su derecho a la fama. Los funcionarios de la ciudad estaban decididos a mantener los eventos relacionados con la velocidad, eventos que habían sido una fuente de ingresos a mediados del invierno para los hoteles y restaurantes del área. [3]

Carrera temprana en las carreras [ editar ]

On March 8, 1936, the first stock car race was held on the Daytona Beach Road Course, promoted by local racer Sig Haugdahl.[3] 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.[3]

Haugdahl talked with France, and together they got the Daytona Beach Elks Club to host another event on Labor Day weekend in September 1937. The event was more successful, but still lost money despite its $100 purse.[3] Haugdahl didn't promote any more events. France took over the job of running the course in 1938. There were two events in 1938. Danny Murphy beat France in the July event. France beat Lloyd Moody and Pig Ridings to win the Labor Day weekend event. Three races each were held in 1939 and 1940. France finished fourth in March, first in July, and sixth in September, 1940. Four events were held in 1941.[citation needed]

Francia estaba ocupada planeando el evento de 1942, hasta que los japoneses bombardearon Pearl Harbor . Francia pasó la Segunda Guerra Mundial trabajando en Daytona Boat Works mientras su esposa Anne dirigía la estación de servicio. La mayoría de las carreras se detuvieron hasta después de la guerra. Bill conoció a Jim Johnstone Sr. en 1944, cuando Jim estaba destinado en la Base Naval en Daytona Beach, donde se encuentra actualmente la Universidad Aeronáutica Embry-Riddle. Johnstone había sido mecánico de automóviles en Nueva Jersey , donde su padre fabricaba motores para automóviles Indy. Conoció a Francia en la estación de servicio de Bill y se convirtió en su mecánico de autos de carrera. Viajaban con sus esposas e hijos por toda Florida los fines de semana, compitiendo en muchas pistas pequeñas. [ cita requerida ]

On April 6, 1946, Jim and Bill were testing Bill's car on the streets of Cocoa, Florida, when they were stopped for driving 74 mph (119 km/h) in the city limits. Jim was driving and had to pay a $25 fine. When the war ended, Jim moved his family back to New Jersey to start an auto parts business but remained close friends with Bill for the rest of his life. After the war, France decided to concentrate on promoting instead of driving. In sixteen events at Daytona Beach, France had two victories and six Top-5 finishes.[4] France promoted events at Seminole Speedway immediately after the war. He built the Occoneechee Speedway in 1947.

NASCAR[edit]

The property located at 316 Main Street Station once owned and operated by France, which is still operating today as an event and entertainment venue.

France knew that promoters needed to organize their efforts. Drivers were frequently victimized by unscrupulous promoters who would leave events with all the money before drivers were paid. On December 14, 1947, France began talks with drivers, mechanics and car owners at the Ebony Bar at the Streamline Hotel at Daytona Beach, Florida, that ended with the formation of NASCAR on February 21, 1948.[5] They discussed uniform rules, insurance coverage and guaranteed purses.[5]

By 1953, France knew it was time for a permanent track to hold the large crowds that were gathering for races at Daytona and elsewhere. Hotels were being constructed along the beachfront. On April 4, 1953, he proposed a new superspeedway called Daytona International Speedway. France began building a new 2.5 miles (4.0 km) superspeedway in 1956 to host what would become the new premiere event of the series – the Daytona 500. The event debuted in 1959, and has been the premiere event since.[5]

He later built the Talladega Superspeedway which opened in 1969.[5]

He served as chairman and CEO of NASCAR. R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company became the title sponsor in 1971, a move that changed the name of the series from "Grand National" to "Winston Cup". Reynolds convinced France to drop all dirt tracks and races under 100 miles (160 km) from the NASCAR schedule in 1972, a move that defined the "modern era" of the sport. Big Bill then turned the reins of NASCAR over to his son Bill France Jr. France kept an office at the headquarters until the late 1980s.[6]

He built the International Motorsports Hall of Fame, which inducted France in its first class on July 25, 1990.

Political Activity[edit]

France also served as campaign manager for George C. Wallace during the latter's 1972 effort to achieve the Democratic nomination for President of the United States and permitted Wallace to campaign during the Daytona 500 race held in that year.[7]

Death[edit]

France died June 7, 1992, at his home in Ormond Beach, Florida, after suffering from Alzheimer's disease, aged 82.[8][9]

Awards[edit]

  • He was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1990.
  • He was inducted in the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America[10] in 1990.
  • He was inducted in the Automotive Hall of Fame in 2004.[5]
  • He became a member of the National Motor Sports Press Association (NMPA) Hall of Fame at Darlington, South Carolina.
  • He was inducted in the Daytona Beach Stock Car Racing Hall of Fame in 1992.
  • He was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame on May 23, 2010.

References[edit]

  • The Unauthorized NASCAR Fan Guide by Bill Fleischman and Al Pearce, 1999.
  1. ^ a b c Fleischman, page 2
  2. ^ WestEgg.com Inflation calculator Archived 2007-07-21 at WebCite
  3. ^ a b c d e Fleischman, page 4
  4. ^ Fleischman, page 5
  5. ^ a b c d e Induction in the Automotive Hall of Fame Archived 2016-03-03 at the Wayback Machine, Retrieved August 24, 2007
  6. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2006-11-13. Retrieved 2007-07-11.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  7. ^ https://www.racing-reference.info/showblog?id=2476
  8. ^ Profile Archived August 12, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, nascar.speedtv.com; accessed June 22, 2015.
  9. ^ Obituary, washingtonpost.com; accessed June 22, 2015.
  10. ^ Bill France at the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America

External links[edit]

  • NASCAR history
  • Daytona Beach Stock Car Racing Hall of Fame
  • Bill France Sr. at Find a Grave
Sporting positions
Preceded by
Roy Hall		 National Stock Car Champion
(Unofficial)
1940		Succeeded by
Roy Hall