Motorsports' reaction to the death of Bill France Jr. (cont'd)

Darrell Waltrip, three-time Cup champion

"There will never be another Bill France Jr. This sport lost a great leader. He's been in this sport ever since I have. He started in 1972 in this sport as the leader of NASCAR. I started my career in 1972. He's been the only leader in this sport that I've really ever known. He's going to be dearly missed. People like myself, not only consider him to be a friend, but to be someone they cared about and someone they loved.

"Betty Jane, a man could not ask for a more faithful, loyal, loving, caring, stand by your side through thick and thin wife than Betty Jane has been. My heart goes out to her. Stevie and I both and the girls are thinking of them and praying for them and wishing them that the strength of God will be with them during this very difficult time."

Gillian Zucker -- president, California Speedway

"I had the great honor of knowing and learning from Bill France for 10 years. He was an imposing man, both in stature and leadership style, who made the sport of NASCAR and our company what they are today. He set standards impossibly high and challenged everyone to chin to them. He had vision where others saw nothing. The only thing more widely acknowledged than his attention to detail was his story-telling ability. Words cannot begin to express how deeply he will be missed and only one can describe his impact -- legendary."

Bruton Smith -- chairman, CEO, Speedway Motorsports Inc.

"Bill did a tremendous job of implementing the lessons learned from his father and managing NASCAR and its growth during his era. His father taught him this business from the ground up and Bill had respect for our sport's history and a strong desire to continue to move it forward, which he did. His leadership will be missed. My sincere condolences go out to Betty Jane, Lisa, Brian, Jim and the rest of the France family."

H.A. "Humpy" Wheeler -- president, COO, Speedway Motorsports Inc.

"Our heart goes out to the entire France family. Bill France Jr. rose to the greatest challenge of all -- following in his legendary father's footsteps to take what he began into the mainstream of American sport. It was not an easy path. He hammered up advertising posters in places like Hillsborough, North Wilkesboro, the old Charlotte Speedway and the beach track at Daytona.

"He did everything from selling tickets to giving broke racers enough money to get home or to the next track. He helped his father guide the sport through the turbulent '60s. When the whole thing was dumped in his lap in the '70s, there was little capital investment, few sponsors and network television was rare.

"His steady hand and analytical mind were exactly what was needed at the time, and that firm hand guided stock car racing through explosive growth and success. He will go down as one of the great leaders of American sport in the 20th century and his contribution to motorsports is immeasurable."

Jeff Byrd -- president, Bristol Motor Speedway

"It is hard to imagine where NASCAR would be right now without the leadership of Bill France Jr. He was the right man for the time, as was his father, Bill Sr. and his son Brian.

"I worked with Bill Jr., as a journalist at The Winston-Salem Journal, as a sponsor, in my years with R.J. Reynolds, and as a promoter here at Bristol Motor Speedway. We shared a lot of laughs and some disagreements. I don't think that's any different than anyone else who dealt with him.

"The one thing about Bill Jr. that you could take to the bank was you never had to guess where you stood. He had a passion for this business and had done everything in it in his lifetime from selling tickets to running the whole shooting match. And never during that time, in my 30-plus years of our working relationship, did I ever wonder where he stood on a matter. Even when we didn't agree and there's something to be said for that." (Continued)