The NASCAR Hall of Fame - Who Should Go In? Part 2

On Tuesday, we took a look at the fact that there will be a NASCAR Hall of Fame opening in the spring of next year. We also went over how the induction process will work to select Hall of Famers. Finally we talked about the list compiled on a website made up by taking five votes from 28 folks who know their NASCAR. Yesterday we took a look at the top two vote getters, Dale Earnhardt and Richard Petty, and why they should be inducted. Today we'll focus on the individual who tied for the third most votes (22 of 28), but will slide solely into third with my executive vote, William Getty France Sr.

The story of William Getty France Sr. and that of NASCAR are completely inseparable. The tale is really too long to regale in this post, but to keep it short: Prior to World War II, stock car racing was a growing attraction. Despite the sport's rising popularity with fans, drivers were often victimized by shady promoters who would leave events with all the money before drivers were paid. On December 14, 1947, a man named Bill France, who was well known in the racing community as a driver and promoter in his own right, gathered with influential drivers, mechanics, car owners, and promoters at the Ebony Bar inside the Streamline Hotel in Daytona Beach, Florida. In these meetings, they decided that this form of racing would not grow without a formal sanctioning organization, standardized rules, regular schedule, and an organized championship. Through this, the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) was formed. France ran and controlled NASCAR from it's inception until 1972, when he handed the reigns of the business over to his son, Bill Jr.

Although "Big Bill" was no longer in control, he still remained very active and influential behind the scenes. While he certainly didn't create NASCAR single-handedly, it's probably safe to say that without Bill France Sr., we may not have a nationally recognized stock car racing organization like NASCAR today. "Big" Bill France, who passed away in 1992, should certainly be inducted into the Inaugural NASCAR Hall of Fame Class.

Some may argue that because he took all the credit for creating NASCAR and because he ran the company like a dictatorship, he should not be honored so highly. The fact remains, however, that under France's leadership, NASCAR reached the "crest of the hill" before exploding into the massive, money-making machine that it became under his son's reign.

Tomorrow we'll look at the individual who tied with France in the unofficial poll, a man that could have rivaled Petty and Earnhardt in wins and championships if he'd only raced the full Cup Series schedule more often. See ya then.