Losing her father and husband within a month of time made 2007 the “toughest year” of her life, NASCAR Vice Chairperson and International Speedway Corporation Chief Executive Officer Lesa France Kennedy tells Michelle Miller in an interview for CBS Sunday Morning with Charles Osgood to be broadcast May 10, 2015 (9:00am/et) on the CBS Television Network. Kennedy is part of a stock car racing dynasty. She is the granddaughter of NASCAR founder Bill France, Sr., and daughter of Bill France, Jr., who was Vice Chairman of NASCAR when he died after a long illness in 2007. Then, a month later, Kennedy’s husband, Dr. Bruce Kennedy, died in a small plane crash not far from the family’s Florida home. In a wide-ranging interview, Kennedy opens up about rebuilding her life after losing her husband; guiding her son Ben Kennedy’s NASCAR driving career, efforts to broaden the reach of stock car racing in the country, and the future of the International Speedway Corporation’s Daytona International Speedway. In an additional excerpt at CBSNews.com, Kennedy tells Miller that she got through the tragedy of losing her husband by staying close with her son. Ben Kennedy talks with Miller about his racing career, and growing up in the family business. His mother, he says, had him doing a variety of jobs around Daytona, from parking cars, to cleaning up.(NASCAR)(5-9-2015)
