RELATED: NASCAR is France family business
MORE: Daytona Days: A France family affair
December 1947: Bill France Sr. organizes a meeting at the Streamline Hotel in Daytona Beach, Fla., to discuss the future of stock car racing. NASCAR is incorporated.
1971: RJ Reynolds is introduced as the entitlement sponsor of NASCAR’s premier series, creating a sponsorship structure that still exists today and introducing the “modern era” of NASCAR.
1972: The founder of NASCAR, Bill France Sr., hands over the reins of leadership to his son Bill France Jr., who becomes the second president in NASCAR’s history.
1996: Lesa France Kennedy’s leadership launches Daytona USA (known later as the Daytona 500 Experience) at Daytona International Speedway, opening the destination’s first year-round motorsports attraction and museum.
1999: Brian France, Bill Jr.’s son, leads effort to consolidate the television package. NASCAR announces multi-year partnerships with FOX, NBC and Turner Sports.
2000: Bill France Jr. announced that he would serve as chairman of a newly formed five-member board of directors for NASCAR that consisted of him, Jim France, Brian France, Lesa France Kennedy and Mike Helton with responsibility for developing policy and vision for the sport.
2002: Kennedy led two development projects, creating Kansas Speedway and Chicagoland Speedway, and expanding ISC’s portfolio into two major Midwest markets.
2003: As a result of Brian France’s major successes consolidating the television rights, increasing sponsorship and various other areas, he is named NASCAR Chairman and CEO. NASCAR also opens the 61,000-square foot NASCAR Research and Development Center. This has led to the safest era in NASCAR history and the unveiling of cutting-edge technology including the Air Titan, Pit Road Technology and the Digital Dashboard.
2004: Brian France announces the formation of The Chase, a playoff format for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. He also creates NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity program dedicated to bringing more minority and female drivers into the sport.
2013: Brian France negotiates the largest television deals in NASCAR history, with 10-year agreements with FOX and NBC reported to be worth $8.2 billion.
2014: Brian France enhances the Chase format, introducing the first-ever elimination style playoff format in motorsports.
2016: Kennedy opens the World’s First Motorsports Stadium, a $400 million reimagining of an American icon – Daytona International Speedway, for the Rolex 24 Hours At Daytona and DAYTONA 500. Brian France leads the industry in forming a Charter business model for the teams. At the end of the season, he announces that Monster Energy will be the new premier series partner of NASCAR.
2017: Brian France leads the industry in the introduction of a new three-stage format of racing across all three national series racing. On the eve of Daytona Speedweeks, Kennedy unveils a flagship tenant, Bass Pro Shops, at ISC’s ONE DAYTONA, a 300,000-square foot premier mixed-use and entertainment destination across the street from Daytona International Speedway.