Bill France Jr. was an American motorsports executive with a $2 billion net worth at the time of his death. From 1972 to 2000, Bill France was the CEO of NASCAR. He was the heir to his father, Bill Sr., and the forerunner to his son, Brian France. Bill France was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame three years after his death, in 2010. On June 4, 2007, Bill died of lung cancer.
Who was Bill France Jr?
Bill France Jr. was born in Washington, DC on April 4, 1933, to Anne and Bill Sr. Jim is his younger brother. The brothers’ father was a businessman and racing driver who formed NASCAR, a governing body for stock car racing in the United States, in 1948. The family relocated to Daytona Beach, Florida, during the Great Depression.
France spent a lot of time on racing tracks as a kid, thanks to his father’s job, selling snacks and assisting in parking cars at the Daytona Beach Road Course. He also helped to build the Daytona International Speedway. France went to Seabreeze High School and the University of Florida for her education. He also served in the United States Navy for two years.
How old was Bill France Jr?
He was 74 years old when he died.
What was Bill France Jr’s net worth?
He was estimated to be worth $2 Billion.
What was Bill France Jr’s career?
France pursued a racing career after leaving the Navy. In the 1960s, he began competing in enduros on off-road bikes. France entered the Baja 1000 motorcycle category and raced in motocross at Daytona in the early 2000s.
France was NASCAR’s vice president for six years before becoming the company’s new CEO after his father retired in early 1972. During his tenure, he would dramatically develop NASCAR, transforming it from a Southern localized sport to a national one. France did this in part by broadcasting the sport on television.
In 1979, he agreed to televise the Daytona 500 alongside CBS Sports president Neal Pilson, making it the first live NASCAR race aired from start to finish. The race, which was won by Richard Petty after leaders Cale Yarborough and Donnie Allison collided on the final lap, received excellent ratings on television. The telecast’s success helped France land more broadcast contracts throughout the years, including with ESPN, TNN, and TBS. Among his other accomplishments as CEO, he was instrumental in the expansion of the Daytona 500 stock car race and the Daytona 200 motorcycle race at Daytona International Speedway.
During his time as CEO, France was instrumental in bringing NASCAR to new markets. In 1981, he struck a partnership with retired racer and Australian tire retailer Bob Jane to bring stock car racing to Australia. As a result, the Calder Park Thunderdome in Melbourne was erected, the first high-banked NASCAR-style speedway built outside of North America.
The circuit opened in 1987 and hosted its first NASCAR race, the Goodyear NASCAR 500, the following year. However, tensions between France and Jane forced NASCAR to abandon funding for the track in 1991. France continued to have success with NASCAR in the United States, securing a record-breaking $2.4 billion television contract for the 2001 season in 1999.
He eventually stepped down as CEO the previous year after being diagnosed with cancer and was succeeded by Mike Helton. France remained a member of NASCAR’s six-person board of directors, and his family retained ownership of NASCAR.
Sarah Ashley Secoy, a six-year-old leukemia girl from Ohio, was brought to France’s attention in 1993. He determined to turn her struggle and quest for a bone marrow donor into an international news story, which he eventually did. As part of his efforts, France funded and promoted a duet recorded by Secoy and her father, which was broadcast on tens of thousands of radio stations worldwide. Secoy eventually discovered her genetic match donor and lived.
