DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — An exceptionally small number of people can impact the world through their life‘s work and continue to do so in a legacy thereafter.
Betty Jane France not only helped foster the sport of NASCAR alongside her husband Bill France Jr. in its vital early years, but she found a way to cultivate the heart of the sport — its people — well into perpetuity.
Mention her name in racing circles and the response is immediate: A huge grin and a tale of France‘s generosity followed by a story of gratitude for her work and mission.
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“I give my sister-in-law, Betty Jane, the credit for really helping spearhead that direction,‘‘ NASCAR Chairman Jim France said. “As a family, we have been contributing and still do individually. But she had the vision to try and bring something together for our entire sport that could contribute to the needs of many.”
As founders and leaders of one of America‘s great sports leagues, it‘s easy to first consider the France family in terms of their work on the race track. But Betty Jane France, who died in 2016 at age 78, created a masterful and loving vestige in the communities — both big cities and small towns — surrounding the tracks; and, by extension, the areas nearby.
She essentially tipped the first block, and her work has resonated ever since.
The Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award — which honors volunteers and charities for their work — has been a bright star in the sport and beyond for the last 15 years. Its recipients are honored yearly at the championship celebration and provided additional funding to both continue the work and raise the profile.
The four 2026 finalists for the Betty Jane Humanitarian Award were announced just this month and include a longtime leader of a New York food pantry, a volunteer of a Richmond, Virginia, Ronald McDonald House, the founder of a Florida organization that supports families of fallen service members and the founder of a two-decades old foundation committed to providing free medical care for pediatric cancer patients in memory of his young son.
These people and their life‘s missions are indicative of what France‘s work means and show an unmistakable common theme in her legacy — making a difference in the lives of kids and families.
“My mom felt like every child deserved a chance,‘‘ France‘s daughter and NASCAR‘s Executive Vice Chair Lesa France Kennedy said. “They deserve a healthy life. They deserve to be heard and to be seen. And she saw that opportunity. It was extremely important to her.”
The NASCAR Foundation, which Betty Jane France established, just celebrated 20 years of work in the community, having raised millions of dollars and provided a very direct and lasting impact on kids and their families.
“I think my mother will always be remembered for her heart,‘‘ France Kennedy said. “I think The NASCAR Foundation was the start of that and the start of the example that she showed to everyone.
“I also think that it shows everyone that they have an opportunity. They can find their passion, just as my mom did with The NASCAR Foundation, and they can live that and make a difference.”
Seeing the joy on the kids‘ faces or the tears in the eyes of people called to and able to make that difference in their communities is impactful.
Those were the reactions just this summer as NASCAR rolled into San Diego for its first-ever street race on the famed Naval Base Coronado, allowing a whole “new” group of people to see France‘s legacy of care in action.
A joyfully chaotic scene featuring more than 100 children of United States servicemen and women who participated in The NASCAR Foundation‘s Speediatrics Fun Day Festival, a weeklong curriculum culminating with a NASCAR-themed obstacle course on race weekend, and were then surprised with brand new bicycles and helmets. Brightly colored balloons framed a huge sign that hung high across the crowded San Diego race midway, proclaiming, “This isn‘t just a race, it‘s a mission.‘‘
And indeed it has been.
“It‘s the synergy that Betty Jane kind of led the charge on and asked others [to do the same] for the Foundation,‘‘ said NASCAR Vice Chairman and Senior Advisor Mike Helton, who stopped by the San Diego event, soaking in the smiles.
“The bigger and broader part, in addition to millions of dollars of help with children that need help, whether it’s medically or, quality of life, is that it was also a statement made that NASCAR, everywhere we go — and our footprint is across America — everywhere we go, we’re still a local community-driven event.”
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“Everybody’s got their own interests, but you’ve seen this whole sport industry come to this cause,‘‘ he added. “I’d like to think that The NASCAR Foundation was the seed of that saying, ‘you can organize this and do bigger and better.‘ And we’ve seen the industry do that over the last 20 years.”
It‘s a passion of giving that has permeated the sport. Joe Gibbs Racing driver Christopher Bell has unfailingly found his experiences reaching out on behalf of The NASCAR Foundation to be powerful and lasting. Like so many of NASCAR‘s stars, Bell views any opportunity to do something on behalf of the foundation as a privilege.
“It‘s heartwarming and humbling experience anytime you visit a children‘s hospital,‘‘ Bell said. “And being able to bring a little joy to a child‘s day means the world to me. The NASCAR Foundation does an amazing job spreading the love of racing across the country and giving us the opportunity to spend time with these kids and their families.
“I‘ve been lucky to be a small part of what they‘re doing.‘‘
It‘s one thing to have grand ideas and sincere purpose, but it‘s another to put them into action. And it is yet another to have that work prosper exponentially.
One of France‘s dear friends, NASCAR Hall of Fame driver Rusty Wallace, was an immediate and ardent supporter of The NASCAR Foundation. The 1989 NASCAR Cup Series champion still smiles when he recalls France asking him to be an active voice as the organization first began. And the famously candid driver still smiles about it.
“She laughed and said, ‘Well, you’re non-controversial now, since you’re not a driver,‘ ‘‘ Wallace shared with a grin. “But, you know, I really saw her passion and I really got passionate about helping raise money for children and doing these causes. And it just got bigger and bigger for me. I really enjoy it. I feel doing it is really meaningful and appreciated by people
“That’s how I’m so involved in it. And I don’t see myself backing off.”
Adds Jim France: “It’s a community effort by everybody within the sport. And it makes you proud of our folks and people that participates.”
It‘s indicative of how Betty Jane wrapped personality, heart and commitment into a legacy that so lovingly reverberates still today.
“Betty Jane was charming, beautiful, intelligent and she played her role in NASCAR to perfection,‘‘ NASCAR Hall of Famer Darrell Waltrip said of France when she passed away in 2016. “She was the right person to do all she had to do. Just a great lady.”
And she lived the lessons in generosity her actions perpetually taught others.
“My mom was the one that spearheaded that for our family,‘‘ France Kennedy said. “She set the example. She was the role model, and we’re all hopeful that we can continue it with the vision that she started.”
Helton has no doubt that is the case.
“She would be very happy, very proud, and maybe a little bit surprised,‘‘ Helton said of how France‘s work continues to thrive and make a difference in the world all these years later. “We sit around sometimes and talk about different business elements in the sport. What would Bill [France] Sr. think about this moment that we were participating in, or what would Bill Jr. think?
“And you know, on the foundation side, when we’ve just come off an event having 300 bicycles delivered or shoes for kids who don’t have shoes.
“Nichole [Krieger] will say to me often, ‘I wonder what Betty Jane would think,‘ ‘‘ he said of the longtime NASCAR Foundation executive director. “And I tell her, ‘Betty Jane would be proud.‘ She would be very pleased with that seed that she planted to grow into such a beautiful forest.”
Her perpetual light is still shining brightly upon it all.
