For Bill France Jr., it was never about fame or fortune. Everything he did – helping build Daytona International Speedway, moving the annual awards banquet to New York City and negotiating the first billion-dollar TV contract – he did with NASCAR’s best interests at heart.

His decisions weren’t always popular, and they often rankled competitors. With his sharp tongue and an iron fist, France never wavered, pushing NASCAR beyond its small-time Southern roots into a nationwide billion-dollar conglomerate.

Diagnosed with cancer in 1999, France had been in poor health for much of the last decade. He died Monday at his Daytona Beach, Fla., home.

He was 74.

Fiercely protective of the family business during his 31 years as NASCAR chairman, France earned a well-deserved reputation as a benevolent dictator. He was in charge – like it or not – as he quickly reminded dissenters.