Brian France

Brian Zachary France (born August 2, 1962) is an American businessman and the former CEO and Chairman of NASCAR. He served in the post from 2003 to 2018, following his grandfather (and NASCAR co-founder) Bill France Sr. and father Bill Jr., in the executive position.[1] In 2019, France founded Silver Falcon Capital, Inc. and became CEO of the private investing firm.[2]

For the Australian rules footballer, see Brian France (footballer).
Brian France
CEO and Chairman of NASCAR
In office
September 2003 – August 5, 2018
Preceded byBill France Jr.
Succeeded byJim France
Personal details
Born
Brian Zachary France

August 2, 1962 (1962-08-02) (age 58)
Daytona Beach, Florida
Spouse(s)Megan Garcia (divorced)
Amy Helton
Children4
ParentsBill France Jr. (father)
RelativesBill France Sr. (grandfather)
Jim France (uncle)
Lesa Kennedy (sister)
Alma materUniversity of Central Florida

Early life

France was exposed to the business of stock car racing from a young age.[3] His first job in racing was as a janitor at the Talladega Superspeedway.[4] France studied at the University of Central Florida but joined NASCAR before earning a degree.[5]

Early career

France managed several short tracks, including Tucson Raceway Park in Arizona in the earlier years of his career.[6] In the 1990s, he ran NASCAR's Los Angeles office and helped create associations between NASCAR and the entertainment industry.[7] As a result, films began advertising at NASCAR events, and NASCAR drivers began to feature in various forms of media.[8] In 1995, Brian France helped to create the Craftsman Truck Series.[9][7] In 2000, he became NASCAR's executive vice president.[10]

Career

France became NASCAR's CEO and Chairman of the Board in 2003, after his father retired from the position. One of France's first actions as CEO was to create a new safety rule that barred drivers from racing back to the start/finish line when under caution.[11] After assuming control of NASCAR, France negotiated a title sponsorship from Sprint Nextel[9] and introduced the Chase for the Sprint Cup over the transition period,[3] receiving a $4.5 billion television contract for the initial ten race seasons,[7] in addition to a later multibillion-dollar deal with NBC.[12] France also made an effort to expand the audience base of NASCAR to minorities, and allowed Toyota vehicles to begin competing on the NASCAR circuit.[13] During France's tenure as CEO, NASCAR tv ratings peaked in the mid-2000s, but by 2014, they had dropped, accompanied by a 15% decrease in track attendance.[14] The Sporting News named France one of the five most powerful sports executives in 2005,[9] and, in 2006, Time magazine named him one of the "100 Most Influential of the Century."[15]

During the 2016 presidential campaign, NASCAR pulled its Xfinity Series and Camping World Truck Series award ceremonies from a Trump resort near Miami. Later, on February 29, 2016, France and several NASCAR drivers appeared at a rally to endorse Donald Trump's candidacy.[16]

In August 2018, France took an "indefinite leave of absence" from his role as CEO and chairman of NASCAR.[17] On August 5, France was pulled over in Sag Harbor, NY for driving through a stop sign and subsequently arrested for DUI and possession of Oxycodone.[18] France later pleaded guilty to one count misdemeanor DUI on June 7, 2019.[19] His leave of absence officially ended in February 2019 when interim head of NASCAR, Jim France, permanently took over as CEO and chairman.[20]

Silver Falcon Capital

In 2019, France founded and became CEO of Silver Falcon Capital, Inc., a private investment firm based in Charlotte, North Carolina.[21]

Other ventures

France founded Brand Sense Partners, a Los Angeles-based licensing company.[22] He and his wife are the founders of the Amy and Brian France Foundation,[23] and the Luke and Meadow Foundation, a philanthropic cause that focuses on children.[4]

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References
  1. Mark Spoor, Turner Sports Interactive (2003-09-13). "Brian France named NASCAR chairman, CEO - September 13, 2003". NASCAR.com. Retrieved 2012-12-13.
  2. "Brian France Re-Emerging As Head Of Silver Falcon Capital". www.sportsbusinessdaily.com. Retrieved 2020-03-24.
  3. Jim Francis (2007). The History of NASCAR. Crabtree Publishing Company. p. 27. Retrieved September 12, 2014.
  4. Paul Biedryzycki (2015) [Spring: March 2015]. "Giving no breaks". DuJour Magazine. p. 116.
  5. Kevin Conley (2003-08-18). "NASCAR's new track". The New Yorker.
  6. Rick Horrow, Karla Swatek (2010). Beyond the Box Score. Morgan James Publishing. ISBN 9781600377853.
  7. Rick Horrow, Karla Swatek (2010). Beyond the Box Score: An Insider's Guide to the $750 Billion Business of Sports. Wordclay. p. 191.
  8. Clarke, 252-253.
  9. Thomas Durso (Spring 2008). "Taking Stock of NASCAR" (PDF). Family Business: 50–53. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-02-22.
  10. "ESPN.com - Auto Racing - Helton named new NASCAR president". www.espn.com. Retrieved 2020-03-24.
  11. "NASCAR 2004". Popular Mechanics. March 2004. p. 84. Retrieved September 12, 2014.
  12. Nate Ryan (November 14, 2013). "In 10 years, Brian France has revamped NASCAR". USA Today. Retrieved September 30, 2014.
  13. Clarke, 230-233.
  14. Jim Peltz (July 19, 2014). "Brian France is trying to keep NASCAR relevant". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 18, 2015.
  15. Waltrip, Darrell (2006-05-08). "The 2006 TIME 100 - TIME". Time. ISSN 0040-781X. Retrieved 2020-03-24.
  16. Gluck, Jeff. "NASCAR CEO Brian France, some drivers endorse Donald Trump for president". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2020-03-24.
  17. "NASCAR CEO Brian France arrested for DWI and drug possession". sports.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2020-03-24.
  18. "NASCAR CEO charged with DWI, drug possession". ESPN.com. 2018-08-06. Retrieved 2020-03-24.
  19. Perez, A. J. "Former NASCAR chief Brian France pleads guilty to DWI as part of deal with prosecutors". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2020-03-24.
  20. Perez, A. J. "NASCAR enters new era with transition from Brian France to new CEO Jim France". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2020-03-24.
  21. "Brian France Re-Emerging As Head Of Silver Falcon Capital". www.sportsbusinessdaily.com. Retrieved 2020-03-24.
  22. Jack Gage (2009-02-09). "NASCAR's trouble at the track". Forbes.
  23. "Amy and Brian France Foundation Invests in The Queen City". SHARE Charlotte. 2019-11-27. Retrieved 2020-03-24.
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