NASCAR France Beats DUI Charge

Published by Fleet Tilden, Esq. at April 23, 2010

DUI and drug offense charges were dismissed in a case against J. C. France, grandson of NASCAR founder Bill France Sr. As a result, J. C. France has been reinstated by Grand-Am Road Racing to compete in Rolex Series road-racing events after a five-month suspension following his arrest last year.

Evidence was thrown out of the case against France and the DUI and drug possession charges were not pursued. All the evidence that Daytona Beach police piled up against France was thrown out because of a jurisdictional technicality.

France, 44, was arrested along with half brother Russell Van Richmond, 41, Oct. 8 by Daytona Beach police on charges of DUI and narcotics possession. The two men were pulled over after an officer saw them racing, then another officer saw France roll through a red light.

According to a police, France and Van Richmond were racing over the Seabreeze Bridge and Daytona Beach police stopped them. When police found both men, who were in separate cars and stopped in different places, they found cocaine on them, according to reports.

In an order earlier this month, Circuit Judge Patrick Kennedy said that France’s traffic infraction occurred within the city of Holly Hill and the officer who followed France made an “unlawful stop” of the vehicle because the officer was outside of his jurisdiction.

France won’t compete in this weekend’s Rolex Series event at Virginia International Raceway. He’s not expected to attend Saturday’s Bosch Engineering 250.

“Being out of the car was tough, not just for that race but since then, too,” France said. “Sometimes it takes losing something to understand its importance. I was getting a little ragged and needed a good kick in the butt; I got it.”

If you have been arrested or charged with a Orange County DUI or other criminal offense in Orlando and are facing criminal prosecution in either Orange County, Seminole County, Florida, contact the attorneys at Tilden Law for an initial and confidential consultation, 407-599-1234.

Fleet Tilden, Esq.

Beginning in 1923, attorney John Tilden, Esq. established his law practice in Downtown Orlando with a full service law firm serving Central Florida residents. Following in his grandfather’s footsteps, attorney N. Fleetwood Tilden, Esq. began his Central Florida law practice after graduating from law school in 1993. After a career as an Assistant State Attorney prosecuting Central Florida criminal cases, the Law Office of Tilden Law was established. Practicing exclusively Criminal Defense, Mr. Tilden has handled over 5,000 criminal cases.