DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- A popular debate earlier this year pitted supporters of Dale Earnhardt and Jeff Gordon in a dispute over who was a greater Cup Series driver.

It was an irreconcilable dispute over different drivers who ruled different times with different cars and different competition.

But one thing is irrefutable -- without Bill France Jr., the debate would have been moot.

William C. France, NASCAR's vice chairman and International Speedway Corporation's chairman, who died Monday at age 74, was as much "the man" for his time in NASCAR as his father, William H.G. France, was for his era 25 years before.

And in carrying forward and nurturing the sport that he, too, had grown up within and around the younger France, known to many in his hometown on the mid-Florida shore as just plain "Bill," created a worldwide stage that Earnhardt and later Gordon would dominate in their respective primes.

A big difference with France, however, was that, even as he stepped out of the highest-profiled positions he'd held at his family businesses, he still held tremendous influence over many of their decisions.

As his father had done before him, France spent many more days at his office than you'd expect from a "retired" individual. In later years he reveled in all the latest technological gadgets, and never lost his rapier-like wit -- quick and sharp.

"Bill France Jr. was an institution in sports and an inspiration to all who live and love stock-car racing," said David Levy, president of Turner Sports, one of NASCAR's broadcast partners. "Throughout Turner's 22-year relationship with NASCAR, Bill remained an emphatic visionary, astute business partner and dedicated colleague and friend. We will miss him for his contributions both on and off the track."

It barely mattered if someone was in the sport for decades, years or months. It was almost a certainty to be impressed by the man.

Gordon, who in total has competed in NASCAR for little more than half of the 30 years France spent at NASCAR's helm, still has no trouble grasping what France brought to his sport.

"He meant everything to it and to me," Gordon said. "I can remember going to his father's funeral and at that time, seeing Bill Jr. just come along and take a hold of this sport and take it to the next level. He was a voice and personality that took this sport to another level."

Perhaps one of the greatest measures of France's time at the helm of NASCAR comes via statistics, of then and now.

Richard Petty is the sport's all-time winning driver, with 200 victories and seven championships accrued between the 1960s and 1984. His career winnings are only $7.75 million.

Earnhardt, who won his first of seven titles in 1980 and 76 races in his career before he was killed on the last lap of the 2001 Daytona 500, won $41.7 million in his career.

Gordon passed Earnhardt for sixth on the all-time victories list earlier this season, has 78 career wins and four titles, but is the sport's all-time money winner with $82.3 million coming into this season.

Gordon, still a young man, can be excused for being off by about two decades when assessing France's grip on the controls.

When Gordon made his Cup debut, four months after "Big Bill's" death in the summer of 1992, Bill France Jr.'s drive to elevate NASCAR to the pinnacle of America's sports landscape was already well under way.

"I'm really saddened [at his death]," Gordon said. "I knew he wasn't doing well. I wish I could have had a chance to see him and talk to him before he went. Certainly our thoughts and prayers go out to the entire France family. He's going to be missed. It's going to be hard to be a part of this sport without him."

But luckily for Gordon, his fellow competitors, corporations that are intricately involved in the sport and its millions of fans, the foundation France was a key in building, is solid.

Gordon's insight and compassion are well-known to many within the garage area, though judging from his reception at pre-race, he's far too under-appreciated.

He had a great feel for France's persona, whether it involved a deep-sea fishing expedition on his motor yacht or a post-race "attitude adjustment" in the "big red truck" that after a paint job and switch to Nextel sponsorship of the Cup Series, became the "phone booth."

"He was a real soft-hearted guy who had a real hard shell on the outside," Gordon said in apt description. "He ran things with an iron fist, but he had a passion for this sport that a lot of people maybe didn't get a chance to see."

Numerous employees could tell tales of taking phone calls from "Mr. France" at odd times, with inquiries about news, races or even postings on NASCAR.COM. You can best believe they got your attention.

"You don't see it very often," Gordon said of France's love for the sport, but mostly its people. Those displays had been in short supply for the better part of the past decade as Bill battled a myriad of health issues. "I loved being around him. He's one of those guys you always wanted to listen to."

While everyone from the heads of corporations, to race-team executives and drivers -- from champions to the rank-and-file variety -- weighed-in on France's passing, one kindred spirit captured the essence of France's being.

Team owner Rick Hendrick, whose Hendrick Motorsports conglomerate has grown as a mirror image of his business empire since the race team's inception in the early 1980s, in many ways could be considered a kindred spirit to France.

"I've never seen anyone who could strike the balance that Bill did," Hendrick said. "He knew exactly what he wanted to accomplish and rarely compromised, yet always made it a point to be fair. We've lost a strong leader, a visionary businessman and a truly amazing person.

"Bill was one of the toughest guys I've ever met, but he had a soft side, too. Words cannot express how much his friendship and support meant to me and my family during the most difficult of times.

The flag at Dover flies at half-mast in remembrance of Bill France Jr.

"We shared a love for the ocean -- fishing and telling stories -- and it's those moments that I'll cherish forever."

Jack Roush, another avid racer and businessman who had bitter disputes with France and his lieutenants through his nearly two decades as a car owner, also expressed his respect.

"On behalf of everyone at Roush Fenway Racing I would like to extend my deepest sympathy to the entire France family during this difficult time," Roush said. "Bill France Jr. had the vision, tenacity and business savvy to grow NASCAR from a regional sport into the worldwide sensation that it is today.

"He set NASCAR apart from the other sports with his leadership and ability to give the fans what they wanted -- great racing. He will truly be missed."

It was ironic that France died on a day in which NASCAR's lead division, the Nextel Cup Series, raced a rained-out event in a half-full stadium at Dover International Speedway.

While nothing could save Sunday's Autism Speaks 400, Monday was blessed with a day that in Florida -- particularly during February's annual Speedweeks -- was often referred to as "Bill France weather."

That tag was in deference, of course, to Big Bill the father; but denoted a magic that seemingly had transferred to "Billy," the son.

But there was nothing mystical about what France has wrought. He achieved it through tremendous insight gained through hands-on toil and time spent.

Denis McGlynn, Dover's president and CEO and a man whose career growth in motorsports came in the same period in which Bill France shepherded NASCAR from a lightly regarded regional pastime to a nationally renowned sports and marketing juggernaut, was well-positioned to reflect on France's impact after Monday's race.

"There won't be another Bill France, I don't think," McGlynn said. "It sounds like a cliche, but so many of us in this industry -- like myself -- have a career because of the decisions that Bill made at certain points along the way; and we have an enterprise, now, that's very viable and thriving.

"[Dover Motorsports] owns multiple tracks, and none of that would have happened without a guy like Bill.

"He played a unique role in keeping all the moving parts in NASCAR and around that core in harmony with each other -- and everybody got a chance to get a bite out of the apple, as he used to say, so that everyone stayed healthy and we were all better off in the end."

McGlynn was one of many who claimed France had taught vital lessons.

"The last memory I'll take from Bill came from a conversation we were having about NASCAR, and how you keep it all together," said McGlynn, who was Dover's PR man when Billy France ascended to NASCAR's throne, in January 1972. "He said the strangest thing, for a guy who was in the position he was in -- he absolutely ruled our sector of motorsports and could do whatever he wanted -- and it was a remarkable piece of pragmatism from a guy who didn't need to throw it out there.

"He said, 'You know, Denis, it'll never work unless everybody's making money.'

"And I really respected that, particularly back in the early '70s, when we were losing our butt here, big-time. He could have crushed us, and moved on. But he always gave advice on how to do things, and he always made sure, if we were struggling a little bit, that the negotiations over the sanctions weren't as tough.

"Once we started getting healthy and filling the grandstands, he rightly said, 'It's time to step up ... and you can fill a larger role.' So for a guy who was at the peak of our world, but could still understand and empathize with those guys who were still trying to climb up the sides [was huge], because he would keep us viable, too.

"So we've gone from 22,000 seats to 135,000, and now we're bringing Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington to the table for NASCAR, and that wouldn't have happened unless Bill paid attention to us."

While the elder France's creation of the sanctioning body would have to be considered its single most important moment; Bill France's term as president defined its current role as the second-leading professional sport in America.

Longtime Penske Racing executive Don Miller, who was a Penske race crewman in the 1970s, was one who recognized France's broad-ranging vision.

"I don't think anyone realizes how much they owe that man, because he was the guy that propelled it all the way into the success that we have right now," Miller said. "I know that he was a factor in all the decision-making, right up to the end, here, and [his death] really caught me by surprise.

"It's an unfortunate thing and this sport is going to miss him. Bill had done it all -- he'd been there in the good and he'd been there in the bad -- so when he looked at something, he didn't look at it for today, he'd look at it for three or four years down the road.

"He wondered how it was going to affect things then. What it was going to do tomorrow was one thing, but how it was going to affect things in the future was another matter altogether and that's the kind of vision he had."

"A lot of times big money ruins people, it changes who they are and makes them not so attractive to everybody else around them," McGlynn said. "Bill never changed, in my mind.

"If he had a lot of money, I don't think he knew it -- and if he did, I don't think he ever let it change him. The success didn't spoil Bill France, and he always stayed a regular guy to all of us, no matter who we were.

"He could swap jokes with everybody and tell fishing stories and talk business and be an iron-fisted ruler, and he could be all of those things. You could go nose-to-nose with him and the moment that it's over, it's over and life goes on and you're the best of buddies again.

"He was just a remarkable guy."

Rick Crawford, who's become the "iron man" of the Craftsman Truck Series after a notable career in outlaw late-model racing, ably presented "Everyman's" interpretation of the strength of France's vision; delivered with true reverence.

"Most people credit Mr. France with bringing NASCAR into the modern era," Crawford said. "His vision for where the sport was going was incredible."

Crawford was one of many who correctly credited the younger France with having the same wide-angle perspective his father had always displayed.

"I'll always be grateful for his commitment to the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series," Crawford said. "In the early days, Mr. France was a regular in the drivers' meetings and we all felt his guiding hand in making the Truck Series what it is today.

"His dedication to the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series allowed this good old boy from Alabama to live a dream, driving in NASCAR."

Petty, the ultimate good old boy who became "The King" of stock-car racing through his achievements on the track, and his demeanor off it, might be one of the single biggest beneficiaries of the Frances' largesse and acumen.

Richard Petty shares a moment at the Bill France Roast and Toast in February 2007.

"Simply stated, Bill France Jr. was one of the greatest visionaries of our sport," Petty said in a statement released by his Petty Enterprises team. "Bill France Jr. took our sport to the next level.

"He continued his father's vision and guided our sport through a period of tremendous growth. His vision built relationships with corporate sponsors and television partners [and] that helped build our fan base that reaches far beyond just the Southeast.

"These are his greatest accomplishments."

Petty, who through his treatment of his fans and his sponsors had to have a streak of France's vision within himself, paid France a fitting tribute.

"His vision, knowing what he wanted NASCAR to become and be, has made NASCAR a national sport," Petty said. "We should all be fortunate for Bill France Jr. and his dedication to the sport we love.

"I raced under Bill France Jr. for 20 years. He treated every competitor fair and with honesty. He was not only a trusted leader, but a good friend who will be truly missed."

Petty was only one of the many legendary NASCAR competitors who, in accepting the inevitable that faces every man, mourned a friend as well as an icon in the sport.

Many, from track owners such as Drs. Joe and Rose Mattioli and Bob Bahre, to team owners like Richard Childress and A.J. Foyt spoke in the same vein of France, who was a friend in addition to being a business partner.

The tough Texan Foyt, who in many respects resembled France in demeanor and achievement, also had his run-ins with Bill and his father -- most notably when he surrendered the 1976 Daytona 500 pole after a rules violation.

"Bill Jr. and his dad were the backbones of NASCAR," Foyt said. "They both knew how to promote racing and their kids are doing a great job of carrying on. But it was Bill Jr. who parlayed what his father had started to make NASCAR the household name it is today.

"It's a shame that the racing world has lost a fine gentleman and personally it's tough for me because he was a good friend of mine."

Edsel B. Ford II, a member of the Board of Directors of the Ford Motor Company, could have spoken for many.

"Bill France Jr. was more than a good friend of mine -- he was a legend in motor racing," Ford said. "NASCAR and motor racing worldwide would not have seen the growth and prosperity it has without Bill's vision and determination.

"He single-handedly made it the reality it is today by understanding what the fans wanted and by creating an environment where on-track competition was king.

"Bill also understood and encouraged the automobile manufacturers to become a major part of the sport.

"I personally loved the opportunities I had to sit with him discussing racing, business and family. He had a wonderful perspective on everything going on around him. Everyone at Ford, and me personally, lost a great friend."

Darrell Waltrip, the three-time Cup champion whose entire driving career came during France's presidency, could be likened to a wild colt when he came on the scene with Bill, kicking down fences, biting hands and raising dust -- and was never tamed.

But he came to respect and cherish his relationship with France, which continued with Waltrip's role as a FOX Sports broadcaster.

"[Monday] was a day we've all dreaded," Waltrip said. "My heart is broken. I've prayed for him, my family has prayed for him and I've had my friends all pray for him. [Monday] I prayed the 21st Psalm for him.

"I think there are people in the sport that don't realize what Bill France has done, what he has sacrificed and what he has given to this sport his entire life.

"His whole life has been about the sport, the people in it, the growth of it and the prosperity of it. He truly has been the heart and soul of this sport for 30-odd years.

"He's been like a father to me. I can still see him now with those arms crossed, looking over the top of those glasses shaking his head at me and then giving me fatherly advice to tell me where I went wrong or tell me what he was thinking."

Legend has it he did that with several of the sport's stars, with the advice, "We could get along just fine without you, you know."

"He's just one of those kind of men with so much wisdom," Waltrip said. "When we lose people like that there is no replacing them. There will never be another Bill France Jr.

"This sport lost a great leader. 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."

Stu Grant, the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company's general manager of worldwide racing, had the opportunity to share boardrooms and the garage area with a man for whom he had tremendous respect as a close partner.

"Bill France Jr. was a visionary and a tireless promoter of the NASCAR racing world," Grant said. "His sheer force of will and strength of character has brought NASCAR to the top of American sports culture.

"NASCAR participants and fans are a family, and we all feel a great sense of loss. But while we mourn the man, we rejoice in the spectacle that he created with his passion."

Dale Earnhardt Jr., as a new-age star on the stage France, his father and their families and employees created, never had the opportunity -- or dared -- to fashion the relationship his father, the late seven-time Cup champion, had with France.

France, a relatively low-key billionaire who did indulge himself and his close associates in one of his passions, an opulent fleet of watercraft based at the family marina on the inter coastal waterway in Daytona Beach, shared that love with Earnhardt.

And while France's profile at the track, which once was a weekly occurrence, had greatly lessened as Earnhardt Jr.'s star rose; the younger man certainly felt and appreciated the impact of France, who shared the elder Earnhardt's love for the outdoors.

"It's a profound loss for the sport," Earnhardt Jr. said. "His dad really started NASCAR, but he's the one probably most responsible for the state of our sport today.

"He's one of those giants -- very intimidating to me. I didn't know him well, but my dad was close with him and I know that made my dad very, very proud to get close to someone that not a lot of others did.

"Mr. France was the backbone of our sport. He was a true friend to the Earnhardt family, and someone I always looked up to. We will do our part in continuing his legacy, racing hard and putting on a good show for the fans.

Bill France Jr. and Dale Earnhardt at Homestead-Miami Speedway in November 1999.

"I think that's what he would want us to do."

One way France's impact can be measured is by the impromptu "university" he created, in partnership with longtime Cup Series sponsor R.J. Reynolds Tobacco, in grooming men who've gone on to preside over a variety of motorsports facilities.

"Having had the opportunity to learn how to operate a motorsports facility under the tutelage of Bill France Jr. was certainly one of the most impact things in my life," Talladega Superspeedway president and ISC executive Grant Lynch said. "His work ethic, wide range of knowledge and attention to detail are things I try to apply in business, as well as everyday life.

"His passing is a tremendous loss to the NASCAR community, as we have lost not only our leader and a pioneer of the sport, but also our friend."

Bristol Motor Speedway president Jeff Byrd worked with Lynch at RJR, and also had a lengthy career involvement with France.

"It is hard to imagine where NASCAR would be right now without the leadership of Bill France Jr.," Byrd said. "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."

Through everything the sport endured in its period of intense growth, it also maintained a family presence. Leonard Wood, with his brother Glen a patriarch of the famed Wood Brothers racing team and a charter NASCAR organization, both witnessed that and shared it.

"Bill France and the Wood Brothers have had a friendship for years," Leonard said. "He always spoke with authority. You knew where you stood with him.

"If you had a legitimate complaint, he'd go to bat for you. At the same time, he'd stay on top of you to make sure you didn't tell him something that wasn't true. He wasn't somebody you could run over.

"I remember one time when I told him about something, and he said I should try to look at it from his end. That made me realize how big this whole thing is. I don't think any of us would be here today without him."

Richmond International Raceway president Doug Fritz's career has blossomed virtually under France's wing for nearly the past two decades.

"Words can't describe the impact Bill France Jr. had on our sport," Fritz said. "From the millions of NASCAR fans to those of us who make our livelihood in NASCAR, we all have Bill to thank for his vision and leadership.

"I knew Bill for more than 17 years, so I know he would have wanted us to get right back to work to help promote the sport he loved. We will carry on, but we'll do so with heavy hearts [and] miss him tremendously."

Michael Waltrip, Darrell's younger brother who's been a competitor at NASCAR's highest level for more than 20 years, in the last year displayed a goodly chunk of the France family's entrepreneurial spirit when he launched the current version of Michael Waltrip Racing.

"When Bill France Sr. passed the torch to Bill Jr., some people were skeptical," Michael Waltrip said. "But wow, did Bill Jr. prove he was the right man for the job.

"Mr. France's leadership launched NASCAR into a national mainstay as he consistently demonstrated the iron-willed leadership qualities of his father.

"Through all the amazing accomplishments in Bill Jr.'s incredible career as our leader, I know his greatest legacy will be the influence he left with his children, Brian and Lesa, as they lead us into the future.

"Mr. France may be gone, but his leadership will be felt every day there is a sport called NASCAR. And all of us competitors are thankful for that."

"It's just sad," two-time Cup champion Tony Stewart said. "You look at what he's been able to do in the time he's been with NASCAR and obviously learning from his father -- there aren't enough words to describe what he's meant to this sport and what he's done for it."

For some in the sport, France's passing was akin to losing a piece of themselves, as Rusty Wallace, another former champion from France's era, noted.

"I knew this day was coming, I just hoped it never would," Wallace said. "Mr. France was definitely old school just like I was. I considered him a great personal friend and mentor who gave me a lot of advice on things on and off the track.

"He was influential on my decision to retire. I remember him saying, 'Hey Wallace. You've accomplished everything in the world. How much longer do you have to push it?'"

Wallace, for one, knew exactly what France and his family's legacy means to him.

"Without him creating NASCAR and making this wonderful sport for many thousands of people," Wallace said, "I would have still been a newspaper delivery boy and vacuum-cleaner repairman living in St. Louis.

"Fortunately, when Bill became sick he had already begun transferring the leadership of NASCAR and making sure the right people were in place. It shocked the NASCAR community when Mike Helton was named president of NASCAR because we all thought that Bill was going to rule with an iron fist forever.

"Bill put everything in place and I think he's got NASCAR on a railroad track for success. Obviously, this sport is going to miss him dearly. I hope that nobody considers this a weak point in the sport because he wouldn't want that and Mike Helton is far from weak.

"He's a domineering personality like Bill France Jr. was and I think [NASCAR is] in great shape. Mr. France had one agenda -- create an entertaining sport for fans, drivers and owners [and] I hope that it continues to run with that same mentality."

France's memorial service was rightfully scheduled at a large concert hall at the local Bethune-Cookman University, in expectation of a large turnout.

NASCAR was formed as a family company, and in the days before it grew to a large corporate entity, Bill France thrived on his close relationships with his loyal employees, a trait he'd picked up from his father.

Visitation for Bill France Jr. was held Wednesday at the Seabreeze United Church in Daytona Beach.

At Christmas parties and other gatherings he easily engaged in banter with individuals or the entire group, such as at one pre-Speedweeks VIP fete at which he attempted to address the crowd, which wouldn't hush when he stepped to the podium.

"Yo!" France finally hollered. "I'm paying the bill for this, and y'all are going to quiet down" -- or words to that effect. It was pure ol' "country Bill."

J.D. Gibbs, president of Joe Gibbs Racing, assumed control of his team from his father, the Washington Redskins' coach who founded it. Thus, he recognizes and appreciates the challenges, as well as the achievements, of France.

"It is hard to work with your dad and them [to] work with their son -- I know that is hard," J.D. Gibbs said. "The fact that they have been able to do that so successfully for such a long time and be as strong as they are today, is really and truly an accomplishment.

"We trust NASCAR. We may not agree with them about everything, but we trust them to make good decisions. [Bill] made good decisions, my family is indebted to him; our sport is indebted to him.

"I think you will see a lot of that the next few weeks, appreciation for everything he did and an outpouring toward him and his family."

The thought in many corners is that the appreciation will go on for as long as NASCAR races take green and checkered flags.