Vintage Footage of NASCAR’s Founder Bill France Sr. Racing in the 1940’s

Most any of an of racing, from hardcore to casual fans, have heard the name Bill France Sr. Even those who aren’t particularly fond of NASCAR know enough about it to recognize the France name. What many may not realize is that “Big Bill” France actually started out as a driver before founding the NASCAR sanctioning body.

This footage, recently released from the exclusive collection of Raymond Parks, features clips of France racing in Indiana, North Carolina, and on the famed beaches of Daytona in the early 1940’s, several years before he founded NASCAR and stepped away from the driver’s seat. France was a competitive driver during his time behind the wheel, but had much bigger plans for the sport he helped transform into a corporate juggernaut when he aligned with RJ Reynolds and brought the sport of stock car racing into the modern era.

This footage is a great look at the earliest days of what would go on to become stock car racing, and just how far things have come from the formative years of the sport.