NASCAR Team Owner Joe Gibbs Says Jim France’s Transition To Replace Brian France As Chairman Will Be Smooth

NASCAR team owner Joe Gibbs stated on Tuesday that Jim France‘s long participation in race-car driving will help him transition easily to become the organization’s acting chairman and CEO in the wake of his nephew Brian France‘s leave of absence.

Jim France To Replace Nephew Brian As NASCAR Chairman

On Monday night, it was announced that 56-year-old Brian France would take an indefinite leave from the position after he was arrested in Sag Harbor, New York, on Sunday night for an aggravated DWI. The intoxicated France, who was pulled over for failing to stop at a stop sign, was also charged for possession of oxycodone.

Jim France, 73, is the chairman of International Speedway Corp, the France family’s publicly traded track-operating corporation.

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“First of all, the France family has guided us for years, and I met with Jim France himself recently,” Gibbs told ESPN. “He’s up to date with everything, been part of all the big decisions, so I think we’re fortunate to have him step in.”

He continued: “For us here, we’re going to pray for Brian as he goes through these personal issues and hopefully he can get this taken care of.”

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Brian France replaced his father as NASCAR’s chairman in 2003. His arrest came just hours after Chase Elliott won his first-ever NASCAR Cup Series competition in Watkins Glen, New York.

In recent years, NASCAR’s ratings have fallen significantly, and attendance at races has also reportedly dropped.