It’s been 2,143 days since Jim France — in the wake of Brian France’s arrest for driving while intoxicated — took over the reigns of NASCAR on Aug. 6, 2018.
One thing has been very apparent in the roughly seven years of his reign.
He doesn’t like to talk. At least not to us.
Based on a search of my email, the last time the 79-year-old France said anything official regarding NASCAR was in a statement on the passing of Cale Yarborough, released on Dec. 31, 2023.
Before that, it was a statement on the death of Ken Squire on Nov. 16.
The more you look, it’s more of the same.
It’s all just statements when there’s a death and a quote when someone is inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame or receives the Squier-Hall Award.
Only once in the last seven years has France actually volunteered himself to be asked questions by the media on the record in a public format.
It was on March 17, 2022.
That was the day that NASCAR formally announced its plans to field the Garage 56 entry in the 2023 24 Hours of Le Mans.
The last question of the press conference was directed at France, who was asked if the Garage 56 effort was his way of honoring his father, Bill France Sr.
“I think the best way to describe this is I’m doing it probably as my father was and my brother: as a racer,” France said. “I think everybody sitting at this table is a racer. We like challenges.
“It’s a tremendous opportunity for the sport that my dad started to further its reach with other fans, new fans. I’m also very much into the sports car racing and road racing, as dad was.
“There’s no way that I can honor my dad. He was so much farther ahead than what I am. But to try and carry on some of his legacy and continue what he and my mom started, it’s our family business, and we’re looking forward to continuing to grow it.”
Since then and in general, we really only have other people’s secondhand observations about France and his thoughts on NASCAR.
Last April, Brad Keselowski was asked how he felt about France and Lesa France Kennedy’s involvement in the sport.
“I talk to Jim and Lesa pretty periodically, and Jim specifically is at the track a lot and has an open-door policy, and he’s been great to me,” Keselowski said.
The RFK Racing co-owner waxed more poetically about France in 2020.
“I think we are really starting to see Jim France and his leadership style, I don’t want to say get…
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