Bill, Sr. FRANCE

Family tree of Bill, Sr. FRANCE

Industrialist, Businessman, Motorsport - Auto racing

AmericanBorn William Henry Getty FRANCE

American race car driver, best known for co-founding and managing NASCAR

Born on September 26, 1909 in Washington, D.C., USA , United States

Died on June 7, 1992 in Ormond Beach, Florida, USA

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France was born in Washington, D. C. to Emma Graham, an immigrant from Ireland, and William Henry France. France skipped school as a teenager to make laps in the family Model T Ford at the high-banked 1.5-mile (2.4 km) board track near Laurel, Maryland. He ran laps until there was just enough time to beat his father home. France worked at several jobs before owning and operating his own service station. He built his customer base by waking before dawn and crank-starting customers' cars in the middle of winter. France was familiar with Daytona Beach's land speed record history when ...   France was born in Washington, D. C. to Emma Graham, an immigrant from Ireland, and William Henry France. France skipped school as a teenager to make laps in the family Model T Ford at the high-banked 1.5-mile (2.4 km) board track near Laurel, Maryland. He ran laps until there was just enough time to beat his father home. France worked at several jobs before owning and operating his own service station. He built his customer base by waking before dawn and crank-starting customers' cars in the middle of winter. France was familiar with Daytona Beach's land speed record history when he moved his family from Washington D.C. to Daytona in the spring of 1935 to escape the Great Depression. He had less than $100 (US) in his pocket when they left D.C. (~$1,600 in 2010 dollars). He began painting houses, then worked at a local car dealership. He set up a car repair shop in Daytona at what is currently 316 Main Street Station. Malcolm Campbell and other land speed record competitors decided to stop competing for land speed records at Daytona in favor of the Bonneville Salt Flats later in 1935 because the track was getting too rutted. Daytona had lost its claim to fame. City officials were determined to keep speed related events, events which had been a mid-winter source of revenue for area hotels and restaurants.



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Geographical origins

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