Back in 1948, Bill France Sr. founded NASCAR and after his passing, his son Bill France Jr. took the mantle. Bill Jr. ran the show from 1972 to 2000 and during his time, he reshaped NASCAR and turned it into one of America’s most popular sports. Often, the father with the Sr. tag achieves more than their successor can, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. knows something about that.

Like Bill France Sr and Jr, Dale Earnhardt Jr. shares a name with his late father. When Dale Sr was around, he became the first driver to achieve 7 Cup Series titles in the sport’s history. Although Dale Jr. had a strong run in NASCAR, he did not claim any titles in the Cup series. Taking that into consideration, Dale Jr. saw a contrast between him and Bill France Jr., and here is what he had to say about it.

Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s take on NASCAR with Bill France Jr in control

When Bill France Jr. took control over NASCAR, he made the sport reach a wider audience compared to its southern-rooted beginnings. France Jr. was the reason for the expansion and modernization of the Daytona track, now known as The World Center of Racing.” Besides that, France Jr. also secured television contracts that help fund the sport as well as make sure it reaches a wider audience. Even the idea of corporate sponsorships came from Bill Jr. Convinced that companies could benefit from having their logos in their cars, he believed it also helped teams sustain themselves in an extremely expensive sport like NASCAR.

Looking at all of Bill Jr.’s achievements, Dale Earnhardt Jr. spoke about how NASCAR’s operations in the past on his podcast. It did not come without compliments for the current CEO, Jim France. Dale Jr. explained, “Jim’s an amazing guy. I’ve known him most of my life. His father, Bill Senior, started NASCAR and created it. It’s his dream, his vision.”

Getting to the matter at hand, Dale Jr. explained, “You know, leadership is so critical, right? And I don’t know, Bill France Sr., but he must have been an insanely good leader. He had a son that he raised who was equally as talented, and you know, had the knowledge, the ability, the charisma, and all those things to continue that on.”

One of the core aspects of what made Bill Jr. good at his job was watching the sport right from its infancy. During NASCAR’s inaugural season, Bill Jr. was a 16-year-old. He was involved in every aspect of the sport, not just managing NASCAR. Right from taking on the duties of a flagman or a corner worker to taking the role of chief steward, Bill Jr. did it all. Working in the background of the sport was one of the things he attributed to his success in running NASCAR. Eventually, when he took over the reins from his father in 1972, he had decades’ worth of experience in NASCAR. He spearheaded a broadcast deal that turned NASCAR into a nationwide sensation. Bill France Sr. set up the foundations of the sport and his son took it to new heights of success.

Bringing the focus back to Bill France Jr., Dale Earnhardt Jr. compared his situation with his father to the NASCAR founders and said, “Look, I’m a junior. Usually, the junior’s not as good as the senior. You know, that’s a—I’m being honest here. You know, the son rarely has all the same marks and abilities.”

While Dale Earnhardt Jr. explained that he has not achieved as much as his father did, he believes that the situation with the France family is different. Dale Jr. then explained, “But Bill Jr. came in there and took over and continued to push the sport forward, making incredible gains that overshadowed a lot of what his own dad did.” 

After speaking about how Bill Jr. transformed the sport into what it is today, he compared the leadership style to Jim France.

How the leadership changes have affected NASCAR over the years

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Dale Jr. continued with his thoughts on NASCAR’s leadership transition, highlighting the moment when Brian France, who had taken over after Bill France Jr., ran into trouble. Fortunately for NASCAR, Jim France was there to step in. Dale Jr. described Jim as someone who was happily overseeing the IMSA sports car series at the time, a role he was passionate about. But when NASCAR needed leadership, Jim was asked to take over. According to Dale Jr., this was a lucky break for NASCAR, as Jim was more than capable of keeping the sport moving forward.

Dale Jr. spoke highly of Jim’s leadership style, pointing out that Jim is kind, approachable, and shares many of the same values as his father and brother. However, Jim’s approach is a bit softer compared to Bill France Jr.’s more rigid style.

Talking about the addition of the currently controversial charter system, Dale Jr. explained how they benefitted the sport, saying, “A lot has happened. I mean, when the charters came in, that wasn’t a long time ago in terms of the grand scope of things, time-wise, for the sport. And a ton has happened in those few years since charters came into existence. A charter didn’t exist, and then one day you were given a non-tangible thing that is now something you can sell for millions of dollars. There’s been really good progress there.”

With this, Dale Jr shared his close statements about how Jim France is doing a good job with managing NASCAR. He claimed that he dislikes the divide that is created in the NASCAR community with 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports filing a lawsuit against the governing body. Hopefully, the situation clears off with both sides being happy with their outcome. Considering everything said so far, what is your take on Jim France’s methods of operation? Share your thoughts in the comments below.