James H. Foster was the engine who helped carry NASCAR, Daytona International Speedway and stock car racing from a southern tradition across the finish line to national prominence as a major league sport.  Foster – "please, call me Jim" - was the epitome of the American success story bursting from the rural South to become a highly regarded sports executive. Foster (91) of Ormond Beach succumbed to the relentless effects of Alzheimer's disease on April 27, 2018; the same aliment that took down his long-time mentor William H.G. France, the co-founder of NASCAR. The two actually met when Foster was a curious youngster and France was promoting races throughout the southeast.  As a child, Foster wanted to see a stock-care race at Bowman Gray Stadium, located in Winston-Salem, N.C.  Without the money for admission, Foster was attempting to slip under a perimeter fence to sneak a peek at the action when he was grabbed by a menacing 6-foot-5 man, who quickly identified himself as the race promoter, "Big Bill" France.  "He told me, 'That's not how you get into a race.  Come with me," Foster recounted.  "He took me to the front gate, bought me a ticket and told me to have a good time.  It's funny how things work.  That was the first time I met Bill France." By the time the two crossed paths again, Foster had served in the Navy during World War II, earned a Bachelor's of Arts degree at Catawba College in Salisbury, N.C., got married and had children and worked as a sports writer at several newspapers and become a public relations honcho at Chrysler Corporation. "Big Bill" once again grabbed Foster, but for a much different reason.  In 1967 France hired Foster as his personal assistant as NASCAR stock-car racing was ready to charge into another growth spurt.  France had his hands on the steering wheel while Foster his right foot on the accelerator pedal. In this 30-plus years at International Speedway Corporation and NASCAR, Foster served as president of ISC's flagship property, Daytona International Speedway, and as vice president of marketing for the stock-car sanctioning body, and performed many other tasks and duties along the way. France wanted a radio network to broadcast the Daytona 500 and Foster created the Motor Racing Network in 1970, which became a training ground for television announcing talent.  MRN now has a litany of weekly programming, including channels on Sirius/XM satellite radio and approximately 600 affiliate stations.  Foster helped create the modern NASCAR logo first introduced more than 30 years ago. His greatest, yet unheralded, business achievement was creating NASCAR's pitch to R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company.  The pitch was delivered by "Big Bill" to Reynolds executives in Winston-Salem, NC.  Reynolds signed on as the title sponsor for NASCAR's premier Grand National series in 1971, which eventually became the Winston Cup Series (not known as the Monster Energy Cup Series).  Reynolds poured millions of marketing dollars into stock-care racing for three decades before pulling out in 2003. Foster had many interesting twists and turns during his life.  For instance, his record shows he served as a radio man on the U.S. Navy ship in the war.  Dig a little deeper and you discover he was one of the first American servicemen to step foot on Japanese soil – Nagasaki to be exact – in the weeks after the emperor's surrender. As part of the America's "greatest generation", Foster returned home from serving his country with little fanfare, got his degree and started his journalism career.  It was during his stint as sports editor of the Salisbury Post he married the love of his life Barbara, known as Babs to family and friends.  They had three children Scott, Jamey and Andy.  Jim and Babs lost Scott in 1993 then Jamey, who fought a long, courageous battle with cancer, succumbing in 2014. Jim Foster was ever the optimist and it showed right through with his radiant smile.  Kindness and cordiality are not learned in a book.  These were natural traits of Foster.  It was in his DNA.  People got caught in his gravity.  As his longtime friend Joe Cameron once said, "He was the guy everybody wanted to be around in a conversation." Between tending to his family, work, traveling the world with Babs and time spent with good friends, Foster made time to feed his excessive compassionate sprit.  He was truly a man of good deeds, who was a caretaker of the community. His contributions are too numerous to list here, but he served on the boards of Halifax Health and its foundation, American Red Cross and United Way.  Foster's charity didn't stop with the high-profile work with various nonprofits.  He did plenty of one-on-one life rebuilding.  As one friend of Foster's put it, "He helped countless individuals through personal strife and hardship.  Jim just quietly did what he felt he had to do for people with no recognition other than knowing in his own heart, he had tried to help his fellow man". Jim Foster is predeceased by his son Scott Foster and daughter Jamey Willis. He is survived by his loving wife, Babs Foster, Son Andy Foster (Shanie, Shane, Mariah), son-in-law Randy Willis, grandchildren Jimmy Foster (Lorena), Emilee Foster and Davis Foster and great-granddaughter Landon Foster.  The family would like to give a special thanks to family friend and caregiver, Sofia Fischer.  Without Sofia, Jim's comfort and ability to be cared for at home would not have been possible. Services will take place on Saturday, May 5th at 11:00am at St. James Episcopal Church; 38 S. Halifax Dr., Ormond Beach , followed by a luncheon buffet at Oceanside Country Club. In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made in Jim's memory (by mail) to: Halifax Health-Hospice, Fund Development, 3800 Woodbriar Trail, Port Orange, FL 32129 . Arrangements are under the care of Lohman Funeral Home Ormond. Condolences for the family may be shared through this online guestbook.