Bill France Jr., the man who helped build Daytona International Speedway and built NASCAR into a nationwide billion-dollar conglomerate, died Monday at his Daytona Beach, Fla. home. France had been diagnosed with cancer in 1999 -- he never publicly disclosed any details about his disease -- and had been in poor health for much of the past 10 years. He was 74.

"He had a remarkable career and an even more remarkable life," said his son, Brian France, who replaced him as chairman in 2003. "Words cannot express how much he'll be missed by myself and the rest of our family and by the NASCAR industry overall."

France spent 31 years as NASCAR chairman and earned himself a reputation as a benevolent dictator. He rarely compromised yet always did what was best for NASCAR. France's passing is a huge loss for the sport.

The Jimmy Fund upped it's total by $2.8 million this Saturday -- thanks to celebrities Donald Trump, Ben Affleck, Billy Ray Cyrus, Jon Cryer, and others who helped raise funds for this cancer-fighting charity through a Boston radio-telethon. Established in 1948 to support cancer research at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, The Jimmy Fund has been the primary charity for the Boston Red Sox since 1953 and has been the beneficiary of this same radio-telethon for five years now. Since 2002, the telethon has raised more than $5 million to support research and care for both children and adults. This year's goal was to raise $2.6 million. With generous donations, the goal was reached -- and exceeded.

Trump -- who threw out the first pitch at the Red Sox-Yankees doubleheader on Saturday -- donated $60,000 to the charity. His donation jumped this year's total ahead of last year's $2.3 million. Red Sox owner John Henry donated $30,000, and Yankees owner George Steinbrenner gave $10,000. Massachusetts Senators Edward Kennedy and John Kerry also sent in donations during the 18-hour fundraiser that aims to strike out cancer.