NASCAR CEO/Chairman Brian France was arrested Sunday night (Aug. 5) for a DUI and being in possession of oxycodone, TMZ reports.
The reported incident took place in Sag Harbor, N.Y., around 7:30 p.m. ET, when cops say France blew a stop sign while driving a 2017 Lexus.
According to TMZ, cops suspected that France was intoxicated and conducted a field sobriety test on him. His blood alcohol level was twice the legal limit, and in the search of his car, cops found oxycodone pills in his possession as well.
He was then arrested for a DUI and a possession of a controlled substance. He spent the night in jail but was released on Monday morning (Aug. 6) after his arraignment.
A press release by the Sag Harbor Village Police Department confirmed many of these details Monday, as published by ESPN.
“Mr. France was observed operating a 2017 Lexus northbound on Main Street failing to stop at a duly posted stop sign,” confirmed the release. “Upon traffic stop, it was determined that Mr. France was operating said vehicle in an intoxicated condition. Upon search of his person, due to a lawful arrest, Mr. France was in possession of oxycodone pills.”
The 56-year-old France has been the CEO of NASCAR since 2003. His grandfather, Bill France Sr., founded NASCAR in 1948, while his father Bill France Jr. was the president of the sport from 1972 until 2000.
NASCAR released a public statement about the arrest shortly after 12:30 p.m. ET.
“We are aware of an incident that occurred last night and are in the process of gathering information,” they said. “We take this as a serious matter and will issue a statement after we have all of the facts.”
Brandon is a 22-year-old from NY and has been a passionate follower of motorsports for 14 years now. He recently graduated from Molloy College on Long Island with a BA in Communications. Working within NASCAR has been a dream for Brandon for a while, and he hopes to be able to live out the dream in the very near future.