Brian and Amy France Share Their Life in NYC as NASCAR’s First Family

Even with all of their responsibilities and daily tasks, Brian and Amy always make sure they carve out some time for each other. “We slip away when we can; we do lots of date nights. We love Le Cirque, we like our quiet little neighborhood Italian spots up the street, as well. We like a grand night out and toned down nights, as well. It’s about the quality alone time. We think we do a good job,” Amy continues.

While making time for each other is an essential part of their marriage, the kids always come first. The beautiful boy and girl twins have already developed interests much beyond their years. Outside of parenting and education, they have also begun learning lessons from time spent at the racetrack. “We’ve seen that our children enjoy being at the racetrack, and we have been able to take this big joy and desire to be there to help parent. The amount of respect and understanding that our kids have that this is someone’s workplace, and they need to be quiet and mindful is unheard of for children their age. That has been one of the benefits about how Brian and I balance work and home life is the ability to merge it,” Amy says.

As a family-owned and centric business, having Luke and Meadow take interest in NASCAR is a testament to generations of tradition. However, much like in Brian’s upbringing, there is no mandate for what the France children should grow up to be. Brian describes how his parents “were really open-minded to whatever I wanted to do.” A philosophy he and Amy plan on passing on to their children, as well. As curious and thriving 5-year-olds, Brian’s only current concern is “trying to keep them in the management lane, not the driving lane,” he jokes. Amy continues to explain the pride and respect the children already have for NASCAR and what Brian does, especially their sports-enthused son, Luke.

“From observing my son’s passion and enthusiasm, one of the things that I have noticed is that when he gets to share that feeling of victory with that one driver who wins the race versus a team, it’s a personal identification,” Amy notes. We had to know the NASCAR heir’s favorite racer du jour. With no reservations Amy proclaims how “he is outspoken about his favorite driver. He loves Joey Logano and is very loyal to him.” Luke’s excitement and ability to resonate with a specific driver is one of the same reasons so many Americans have fallen in love with the sport.

NASCAR has become one of the most popular sports in the country. Fans from the East to West Coasts make it a point to gather together and support their favorite racers whenever they can. So why did stock car racing become so significant to so many people? “Everybody drives a car, start with that. There are a lot of characters in the sport, too. People like that authenticity; it is truly Americana, too,” Brian explains.

While many relate to NASCAR for the pure love of racing, a lot of fans admire the company because of its family history. There is no doubt that people connect with the idea of a family deeply rooted and invested in the success of the sport. “I think there is something endearing about knowing there is a family that figuratively and literally put their sweat and hard years of work to build it to what it is today,” Amy says. The Frances have been able to maintain the core of NASCAR, and although they hope their children will choose to uphold the same tradition, they plan on passing down something just as special.

If you haven’t done so already, you should take the time to involve yourself with the Luke & Meadow Foundation. Shortly after having their healthy twins, Brian and Amy decided to become a force behind ensuring that more children have the opportunity for health and security, as well. The foundation is aimed at providing underprivileged and neglected children the resources and opportunity to thrive in life. Spanning from medical attention to education, the Frances are doing whatever they can to give these children a chance at a prosperous future.

Photo Credit: Platon, Courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art

“We decided to form a foundation that we could channel our philanthropic efforts through as the years go on. We decided to name it Luke & Meadow because I want this to be something our kids take on down the road as their own,” Amy explains. While the young twins may not fully understand the power and meaning behind the Luke & Meadow Foundation just yet, they are now beginning to gain awareness of its existence. “They have been at the track when we have hosted cancer survivors and their families. They understand that these are sick children, and it’s a special treat for them to be at the racetrack. That’s where they are starting to identify,” Amy says with pride. The Luke & Meadow Foundation is currently focusing efforts on cancer research and supporting local hospitals along with pediatric wings within them. 2016 is poised to be an impactful year for the foundation, and an even bigger year for NASCAR.

After the 2013 record-breaking television deal, the largest in NASCAR’s history worth an estimated $8.2 billion, the future for the industry was in good hands. The 10-year deal with FOX and NBC ensured that the sport would be delivered to its loyal audience for the next decade. With that in place, the future left room to build on new areas of NASCAR. “Things are pretty good for NASCAR with our TV agreements behind us and so forth. For us it’s focusing on putting the best events and tightest racing that we can, making improvements on the track and investing in the amenities and fan experience,” Brian elaborates.

The future of NASCAR and its fans are as committed as it was in 1947. Although a lot has changed since then, the relationship between racers and their audience forged by NASCAR continues to flourish. The industry continues to expand through digital developments, additional racetracks, international exposure and a continuously growing following. As the CEO says himself, “A lot is happening for us. It is most certainly a good outlook for NASCAR.”