William H.G. France
(1909-?)

Died aged unknown

William H.G. France and Annie B. France, born in 1909 and 1904 respectively, moved to Florida in 1935. An auto mechanic by trade, France promoted a stock car race in Daytona in 1938. In December 1947, Bill France and his associates held the first meeting of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR). In those early days, France’s wife, Annie, sold tickets from the back of a car and kept track of the money. In 1948, NASCAR became an incorporated entity and by 1953 Bill France had proposed the construction of a permanent speedway. Today, stock car racing draws more visitors than any other sport in the nation. The Daytona 500 attracts more than twice as many fans as the Super Bowl, and the sport annually generates hundreds of millions of dollars for the area’s economy. Daytona Beach serves as the corporate headquarters for International Speedway Corporation and NASCAR.

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