Bill France Sr., 'Big Bill,' founded NASCAR in 1948, uniting the scattered world of Southern stock car racing into a single sanctioning body. He built Daytona International Speedway, created the points system, and turned a regional pastime into a national sport through sheer force of will.
France died of Alzheimer's disease in 1992 at 82, just five months after his wife Anne. His sons Bill Jr. and Jim carried his empire forward, but everything in NASCAR traces back to Big Bill.
At a Glance
- Born: September 26, 1909, Washington, D.C.
- Died: June 7, 1992, Daytona Beach, Florida
- Age: 82
- Cause of death: Alzheimer's disease
Final Resting Place
Hillside Cemetery, Ormond Beach, Florida.
Photo: from Howard Wear's collection
From the Book
This profile is adapted from Legends at Rest: NASCAR Legends by Howard Wear.
Portrait: Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. Grave photo: Photo: from Howard Wear's collection.