How NASCAR's founding family transformed Daytona Beach into a motorsports mecca

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Before a new landlord shuttered the iconic Brickyard Lounge and Grill last month, you could walk into the tiny, race-themed restaurant located two miles from Daytona International Speedway, skip the menu and ask them to bring you what NASCAR chairman Jim France orders.

A 1-pound cheeseburger and basket of crispy fries appeared.

At 70-year-old Mario's Restaurant in nearby Ormond Beach, the hostess says with first-hand knowledge that the late Bill France Sr. ordered the grouper francaise whenever the family popped in.

NASCAR's founding family members are regulars at nearly every restaurant — dive or upscale — as well as the local shops and businesses that comprise the city's roughly 75,000 people living along 23 miles of central Florida's coastline.

“The Frances are wonderful people who come in for lunch,” said Annette Allan, owner of the Brickyard. “They treat the employees very well and are some of our favorite customers.”

Four generations have set roots in the city since France Sr. fled Washington, D.C., in the mid-1930s to escape the Great Depression. He was an aspiring racer and landed in Daytona Beach, where men like him were already running hot rods on the famed beach.

By 1940, he was considered the best stock-car driver in the country and was fed up with unsavory race promoters running chaotic events in which participants were shorted their share of the purse. He bandied a group together for a meeting at the Streamline Hotel, where they created the framework for what is now NASCAR.

The family never relinquished control and instead built NASCAR into a billion-dollar company that stands as the top motorsports series in the United States. The family also never left Daytona Beach.

“It is pretty remarkable that family, multiple generations, has chosen to stay here when they could literally live anywhere in the United States,” said Lori Campbell Baker, a resident since 1991 and executive director of the Daytona Beach Area Convention & Visitors Bureau.

“They have put Daytona Beach on the map for millions of people, and they invest in this community. That name recognition has given the city several Super Bowls without ever having to bid on them. Daytona Beach is known as a place to compete, and we could never have afforded, never had the budget, that the advertising the France family and the speedway gives us for free.”

France Sr. began construction in 1957 for Daytona International Speedway, where a 78th season of NASCAR begins Sunday with the Daytona 500, and the facility anchors the city. It already has held one world-class event this year, last month's Rolex 24 at Daytona, the most prestigious endurance race in North America.

The track is open nearly daily for various racing events, and the grounds are used for everything from 5K runs to “Welcome to Rockville,” a four-day music festival that recently signed a 10-year extension with the track.

But the speedway's impact is felt throughout the city, where the civic center has a robust calendar of conventions, expos and competitions. At the same time as the Rolex last month, thousands of cheerleaders flocked to the city for an annual competition. Gymnastics champions are crowned in Daytona, volleyball tournaments and archery competitions are won, and even the Florida Truck Driving Championship is held.

“Instead of saying, ‘We’re going to compete for the championship,' people say, ‘We’re going to Daytona Beach,'” Campbell Baker said. “We get so many ancillary events because people think, ‘If Daytona Beach is the big place, we need to compete there, too.’”

One of the most important France contributions to the city has been One Daytona, a 300,000-square-foot mixed-use lifestyle and entertainment center directly across from the speedway. It was the vision of Lesa France Kennedy, executive vice chair of NASCAR and France Sr.'s granddaughter.

Opened in late 2017 and developed by a France-owned company, it is a year-round dining, shopping and entertainment destination that complements the “World Center of Racing.”

Without the facility, Daytona Beach has no Costco, no Bass Pro Shops, no P.F. Chang's or the race-themed high-end hotel that is part of Marriott's Autograph Collection. Gallery500, an art gallery in the complex, is owned by France Kennedy and some of her own creations line the walls.

“My sister really has a developer mindset and a process to bringing people together. She has a lot of passion and vision, and she drives these projects and doesn't really get enough credit for that,” said Brian France, who spent 15 years as NASCAR chairman. “Our family isn't looking for credit, but they recognize that from a support standpoint, a municipality and a local government, in every market, has to come together to make events as successful as possible.”

France Kennedy hosted the Art of Speed, a luxury car show and art event that benefits the NASCAR Foundation, the night before the Rolex last month. As she walked The Associated Press around the grounds, people stopped her to say hello, told her how much they enjoyed the event and asked about her family.

She got a hug from a restaurant owner who told her she'd just missed her husband by mere minutes. France Kennedy then took the AP to the space next door to Tiano’s Cucina Italiana and explained how the owner was building it into a market as an extension of the eatery.

“We now have this fabulous entertainment facility directly across from the track that our fans can enjoy,” she told the AP. “Plus, I like fun things to do, too.”

Art of Speed last month set a record by raising more than $50,000 that goes to the NASCAR Foundation, a children's needs-focused nonprofit that has donated more than $50 million to various causes over the last 20 years.

The family also runs the Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award in honor of Bill France Jr.'s late wife, and that award gives annual grants to organizations across the country that support children's causes.

The Frances have a tower named for them at Halifax Health Center near the speedway and created Speediatrics, a pediatric emergency department that is NASCAR themed.

There's also a large commitment from the France family to arts and culture in Daytona Beach as a significant donor to the Museum of Arts and Sciences, where the CiCi and Hyatt Brown Museum hosts the largest collection of Florida-based art in the world.

France Kennedy also was instrumental in bringing the Boston Pops and other renowned artists to the Daytona Beach Peabody Auditorium.

For France Kennedy, it is simple: She grew up on the water and returning to Daytona Beach after graduating from Duke to join the family business was an idea planted in her by her late grandmother, Annie B.

She enjoys leaving her office across from the speedway, being home in 10 minutes, changing into comfy clothes and taking in her water view. Her son, Ben Kennedy, returned to Daytona Beach after graduating from Florida. Now 34 and married, he has chosen the city as his home as he climbs the ranks toward someday taking over NASCAR.

Jim France lives along the Halifax River, his three children remain local and the family quietly blends in with everyone from the longtime residents to the snowbirds. If you don't know them, you would have no idea you are seated next to a billionaire at Corleone's Famous New York Pizza and Gyros.

They remain committed to the area, and if possible, many in NASCAR's top leadership would get the Brickyard Lounge moved into One Daytona to retain access to their beloved cheeseburgers. They remain abreast of the ongoing renovations at Billy's Tap Room, another racing-themed area institution that has been shuttered for nearly two years, and do their best to bring Florida-based businesses into One Daytona.

“I think it's home. Why does Warren Buffett live in Omaha, Nebraska?” Brian France said. “Daytona Beach is our home and, of course, we happen to have the biggest event, the Daytona 500, in our hometown. It's a community that our family remains committed to and rather quite passionate about.”

AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

FILE - President Donald Trump, second right, shakes hands with NASCAR Hall of Fame driver Richard Petty at the NASCAR Daytona 500 auto race at Daytona International Speedway, Feb. 16, 2025, in Daytona Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux, File)

FILE - President Ronald Reagan, front right, sits with William France Jr., president of NASCAR and part owner of the Daytona Speedway, and watches the running of the Firecracker 400 stock car race July 4, 1984, in Daytona Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Ira Schwarz, File)

FILE - Drivers take the green flag to start the Bud Shootout race, Feb. 7, 1999, at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara, File)

FILE - Cars take a turn during the first lap of a NASCAR Sportsman's stock car auto race inn Daytona Beach, Fla., Feb. 24, 1954. (AP Photo, File)

MILAN (AP) — The U.S. women’s hockey team so thoroughly overwhelmed rival Canada that coach John Wroblewski issued a reminder that the 5-0 victory still left the Americans a long way from Olympic gold.

“What’s the hardest part of climbing the mountain?” the fourth-year coach asked.

“Getting home,” he said, answering his own question. “If you ever feel good about climbing Mount Everest, it’s the way down. Oh, you think you’ve done something, that’s when the mountain eats you up.”

This was just a preliminary-round meeting between the sport's two global powers. The gold-medal game isn’t until Feb. 19.

The Americans are three wins away from a third gold medal after their lopsided victory over a Canadian team missing its captain, and clinched first place in Group A entering the quarterfinals. It was a performance that continued confirming why the U.S. entered the tournament as favorites.

“I don’t think it’s any easier than expected,” forward Tessa Janecke said of Canada’s most lopsided loss in Olympic play, and first time the team has ever been blanked.

“I think we go in with the same mindset, and I think it was just a good team win overall for us,” she added. “So I think we just went in and did it like any other game. It doesn’t matter who we’re playing.”

Team USA swept all four preliminary-round games by a combined score of 20-1, and brought back memories of how a Canadian team in its prime rolled to winning gold at the 2022 Beijing Games.

The tables have since turned, and it was evident on the scoresheet from a roster featuring seven players still in college.

The University of Wisconsin’s Caroline Harvey had a goal and two assists, with Badger teammates Laila Edwards and Kristen Simms also scoring. The goal was Edwards’ first in her Olympic debut in being the first Black woman to represent the U.S.

University of Minnesota captain Abbey Murphy set up three goals.

Canada, meantime, opened tentatively, and then ran into penalty problems minus its longtime leader, Marie-Philip Poulin, who sustained a lower-body injury in a 5-1 win over Czechia a day earlier.

Not having their so-called “Captain Clutch” in the lineup was still no excuse for coach Troy Ryan.

“We just didn’t play very well at all. Irresponsible with the puck, like just poor puck management,” Ryan said. “And it’s not that there’s not confidence, but we played like we didn’t have confidence with the puck.”

Ryan said Poulin will be re-assessed and would likely miss Canada’s preliminary-round finale against Finland on Thursday. He was otherwise optimistic Poulin would be back in the lineup potentially as soon as Saturday for the Canadians' quarterfinal game.

The U.S. will open the quarterfinals against host nation Italy, which went 2-2 in clinching the third and final Group B playoff spot.

Aerin Frankel stopped 20 shots for her third win and second shutout in her first Olympic tournament. And even 36-year-old captain Hilary Knight added an assist — the 32nd Olympic point of her career to tie Jenny Potter for most by a U.S. women’s hockey player.

“Our team’s making my life pretty easy,” Frankel said. “It’s been so much fun to play behind them.”

And impressive to watch.

“It’s incredible. So much speed, so much skill,” Frankel said. “It’s hopefully really, really hard to play against us and frustrating as well.”

Whatever “O, Canada” buzz there was amid a large Maple Leaf flag-waving capacity crowd quickly dampened on a drizzly day outside the 11,600-seat Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena. And the soundtrack instead became the sound of the U.S. goal song, Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Free Bird.”

Harvey opened the scoring 3:45 in by driving in from the left point and snapping a shot beating Ann-Renee Desbiens.

The Americans’ speed and quick-strike ability was evident on their next goal wiht 2:42 left in the first period, when Murphy chased down Harvey’s pass in the right corner. Murphy immediately spun and sent a no-look pass Bilka converted by driving to the net.

Simms made it 3-0 by jamming the puck over the line 72 seconds into the second period and Murphy set up Bilka for another one-timer some six minutes later.

Desbiens allowed five goals on 27 shots and was pulled after Edwards scored with 8:07 left. She was replaced by Emerance Maschmeyer, who finished with five saves.

Canada’s worst fears were realized in opening the game minus Poulin, after concerns were already raised after the U.S. dominated in sweeping a four-game exhibition pre-Olympic Rivalry Series. The Americans outscored Canada by a combined margin of 24-7.

The U.S. has now defeated Canada in seven straight meetings, dating to the preliminary round and gold-medal game of the world championships in April.

“We had a lot of breakdowns in our game. We would make one mistake that led to another mistake, and sometimes those things kind of compound,” Canadian assistant captain Blayre Turnbull said. “I think there’s a lot of things that we can learn and move forward and hopefully make some positive changes.”

Ebba Svensson Traff stopped 20 shots to post her first Olympic shutout and Group B champion Sweden completed its four-game preliminary round sweep with a 4-0 win over Japan. Sweden outscored its opponents by a combined 18-2, and will play Group A’s third seed in the quarterfinals.

Sweden forward Hilda Svensson did not return after falling awkwardly into the boards five minutes into the game. The team said she sustained a lower-body injury. They described the injury as not serious and said a doctor decided to keep her from returning to play for precautionary reasons.

Japan's ninth-place finish is the lowest in the nation's five Olympic appearances, and after finishing sixth at the 2022 Beijing Games.

Finland beat Switzerland 3-1, scoring for the first time this tournament after being shut out in each of its first two games following a norovirus outbreak that decimated the roster.

Laura Kluge’s breakaway goal with 1:29 left in regulation secured Germany’s 2-1 win over Italy and second place in the Group B standings. Emily Nix also scored for Germany.

Justine Reyes scored for Italy, which advanced for the first time in two Olympic appearances — both as the host team.

AP Olympic coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

Canada's Brianne Jenner, left, challenges for the puck with United States' Caroline Harvey during a preliminary round match of women's ice hockey between USA and Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)

United States' Kirsten Simms, left, scores her side's third goal during a preliminary round match of women's ice hockey between Canada and the United States at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (Mike Segar/Pool Photo via AP)

US supporters cheer during a preliminary round match of women's ice hockey between USA and Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

United States' Kirsten Simms scores her side's third goal during a preliminary round match of women's ice hockey between USA and Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)

United States players celebrate a goal by Kirsten Simms (9) during second period against Canaday in a preliminary round match of women's ice hockey between USA and Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP)

Germany's Emily Nix, left, scores her side's opening goal during a preliminary round match of women's ice hockey between Italy and Germany at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic, Pool)

Germany's Laura Kluge (25), at left, celebrates with teammates including Nicola Hadraschek (11) and Daria Gleissner (20) and Emily Nix (17), after scoring a goal in the first period against France during a preliminary round match of women's ice hockey at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Japan's Suzuka Maeda, right, challenges Sweden's Hilda Svensson during a preliminary round match of women's ice hockey between Japan and Sweden at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

Japan's Yumeka Wajima cries end of a preliminary round match of women's ice hockey between Japan and Sweden at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

Sweden's Hanna Thuvik, right, celebrates after scoring her side's opening goal during a preliminary round match of women's ice hockey between Japan and Sweden at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)