NASCAR chairman Bill France Jr., who led the stock-car racing organization in over three decades, died Saturday in Daytona Beach, Florida after a long battle with cancer. He was 74. Appointed NASCAR president in 1972, France helped exposed the sports to national consciousness, getting the attention of Fortune 500 companies and network television.
In yesterday's race at the Dover International Speedway, drivers climbed out of their car and heard about the death from their crew. Michael Waltrip recalled a fishing trip, Tony Stewart called it racing's �biggest loss since Dale Earnhardt, and probably bigger,� Jimmie Johnson found it difficult to express his emotions, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
�Mr. France will go down as one of the outstanding executives in all of the major sports,� said veteran driver Joe Nemechek. �He was a voice and personality that took this sport to another level,� said four-time Cup champion Jeff Gordon. �He ran things with an iron fist, but he had a passion for this sport that a lot of people maybe didn't get a chance to see.�
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