Also........
Bill France Sr. To Be Inducted Into U.S. Business Hall of Fame: NASCAR founder Bill France Sr. will be inducted posthumously into the U.S. Business Hall of Fame on Wednesday night in Nashville, at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center. France, who died in 1992, founded NASCAR in 1947 and was the sanctioning body’s first president, serving in that capacity until 1972 when he was followed by his son Bill France Jr. France is part of an illustrious 2008 class of inductees that also includes: USA Today founder Al Neuharth; Thomas Frist, Jr., M.D. Chairman Emeritus, Hospital Corporation of America; Robert L. Johnson, founder and chairman of the RLJ Companies and the Black Entertainment Network; John E. Pepper Jr., retired chairman and CEO of Procter & Gamble; and Meg Whitman, president and CEO of eBay. France’s grandson, J.C. France – who races Daytona Prototypes in the Rolex Sports Car Series – will accept the induction honor on behalf of the France family. J.C. France is the son of NASCAR vice chairman and executive vice president Jim France.(NASCAR PR)(4-9-2008)
She was a fun young woman and each track will be less bright without her. She first came to NC to work in the engine department at Dale Earnhardt Inc. Her dream was to be the first female over-the-wall crewmember in the Cup series, and while I'm not sure why it didn't happen (she certainly had the physique for it and was probably stronger than most of the guys on pit lane), she left DEI to work as an inspector for NASCAR. While she was at DEI, Benny Parsons did a nice behind-the-scenes feature about her several years ago, and I hope that piece will be shown again to remind everyone about her (and Benny too, for that matter). She loved Elvis, was always good for a laugh or twelve and her passing is a sober reminder that danger exists well beyond the bounds of the race track. We'll miss her.