Since its inception in 1948, NASCAR has been a family-owned business. Brian France grew up learning the ropes from his grandfather—William “Big Bill” France Sr., who founded the business and ruled it for three decades—and his father, Bill Jr., who preceded Brian as head of the company.
France’s first major directive after taking over the company in 2003 was instituting changes to NASCAR’s point system in an effort to create more excitement at the tail end of the season. In addition, France has been at the forefront of NASCAR’s dramatic sponsorship growth, including a groundbreaking agreement with Nextel Communications, which began sponsoring the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series ...
