June 15, 2007
By Larry Cottrill

Larry Cottrill

As Martin Truex Jr was in the midst of carving out his first Cup Victory at Dover, Bill France Jr. left this world. What he left behind him, and the impact that his life had on so many of us, reflects the magnitude of his accomplishments.

While his father led organized stock car racing out of the wilderness, Bill Jr. took that momentum and shepherded the sport into the Wall Street giant that it is today, with its drivers being among the most recognized names in all of sports.

It could be argued that if founding father Bill Sr. was the sport’s George Washington, then Bill Jr. was its Abraham Lincoln, FDR and Ronald Reagan all rolled into one.

While the initial class of the upcoming NASCAR Hall of Fame will certainly include both Bill’s in its induction ceremonies, I propose that NASCAR seize this moment to secure their memories in the minds of not only past and present fans, but of those not yet born.

The majority of the NASCAR media last week called the Dover race the "halfway" point of the "season." More accurately, it was the halfway point to the Chase for the Championship, but in a sense, the "regular season" IS now only 26 races long.

One of the initial complaints I recall from whenever the rules for the Chase were first disclosed in 2004 was that the season’s points leader was in essence being penalized by allowing all of the rest of the top 10 drivers to close the gap to within 45 points. Other than pride, and a 5-point lead, being first in the points after the fall Richmond race offers nothing else.

Why not, while the gravity of the lives of the two Bills is clearly in our focus, cement their legacies with a Trophy for the "regular season" points champion? Clearly, NASCAR has shown the sports world the importance of sponsorships like no one else, and the Cup that goes to the series title holder will need to carry the name of a Winston, a Nextel, or some other benefactor.

The trophy I now speak of does not yet exist, and the sport has done well enough without needing to find a sponsor to pay $250,000 to name it the "Raybestos Brakes Chase Leader Award."

Let’s call it the William France ( no need to add a Jr. & or Sr. to it ) Trophy, and make it a bronzed likeness of the two giants.

Every driver would love to have a Winston/Nextel Cup Champions trophy, or a Harley Earl trophy from the Daytona 500. I would imagine that the William France Trophy would hold similar prestige to any driver, offer them a true incentive to being 1st in the points heading into the Chase, and keep their names and stories forever in the forefront of future fans.

The thoughts and ideas expressed by this writer or any other writer on Insider Racing News, are not necessarily the views of the staff and/or management of IRN.