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Police: Man wanted by U.S. Marshals used brother’s name

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<p>SAG HARBOR, N.Y. &#8212; NASCAR chairman and CEO Brian France announced Monday he was taking an indefinite leave of absence a day after his arrest in New York&#8217;s Hamptons on charges of driving while intoxicated and criminal possession of oxycodone.</p><p>France had a blood-alcohol content that was more than twice the legal limit, smelled of booze and slurred his words after he was seen blowing through a stop sign in Sag Harbor on Sunday, police said.</p><p>&#8220;I apologize to our fans, our industry and my family for the impact of my actions last night,&#8221; France said in a statement Monday. &#8220;Effective immediately, I will be taking an indefinite leave of absence from my position to focus on my personal affairs.&#8221;</p><p>France has been NASCAR&#8217;s chairman and CEO since 2003. His uncle, Jim France, a vice chairman and executive vice president, will take over those roles on an interim basis.</p><p>France, 56, was arraigned at Sag Harbor Village Justice Court after spending the night in jail. He was released on his own recognizance and is due back in court Sept 14.</p><p>His lawyer referred reporters to a NASCAR statement on the matter. The organization said it takes France&#8217;s arrest &#8220;as a serious matter and will issue a statement after we have all of the facts.&#8221;</p><p>France, 56, was pulled over and arrested at about 7:30 p.m. Sunday after police said they saw his 2017 Lexus roll through a stop sign near the Sag Harbor waterfront.</p><p>His eyes were red and glassy and he struggled to keep his balance during field sobriety tests, police said. Tests showed France&#8217;s blood-alcohol content was 0.18, police said. The legal limit in New York is 0.08.</p><p>Officers found five oxycodone pills during a subsequent search, police said.</p><p>TMZ first reported the arrest.</p><p>France is a third-generation leader of NASCAR. His late grandfather, Bill France Sr., founded the company in 1948.</p><p>He&#8217;s introduced a playoff system, overhauled the design of its cars, and pushed for diversity within the circuit&#8217;s predominantly white, male ranks.</p><p>In recent years, he&#8217;s been dealing with plunging attendance and TV ratings and departing sponsors, attributing the down turn to the challenge of connecting with a new, younger generation of fans.</p><p>France last month characterized as &#8220;rumors&#8221; reports that his family was looking into selling its racing properties.</p><p>&#8220;The France family is locked and loaded in its dedication to NASCAR,&#8221; France told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. &#8220;We&#8217;re focused on ruling and managing NASCAR. There&#8217;s nothing to report on that. Rumors are always interesting, but they&#8217;re seldom right.&#8221;</p><p>France was involved in a 2006 incident in Daytona Beach, Florida, when a police report stated he crashed his Lexus into a tree after entering a restaurant parking lot.</p><p>France later told an officer called to his home that he was drinking a soda and &#8220;bumped into something.&#8221;</p><p>But a witness called 911 and gave police a statement that claimed she saw France driving at a &#8220;very reckless speed,&#8221; and claimed France&#8217;s car hit the tree after hitting a parked car.</p><p>She said she also watched as France &#8220;fell over his own feet&#8221; as he got out of his car.</p><p>Her statement was not attached to the police report, and the Daytona Beach police chief later investigated whether France was given special treatment by authorities.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">NASCAR chairman Brian France has been arrested in the Hamptons for driving while intoxicated and criminal possession of oxycodone. France was arrested at 7:30 p.m. Sunday and held overnight. He was arraigned Monday at Sag Harbor Village Justice Court and released. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/web1_120997526-d0c1205313df40c38abc4f24ab37e906.jpg</photo0><caption0>NASCAR chairman Brian France has been arrested in the Hamptons for driving while intoxicated and criminal possession of oxycodone. France was arrested at 7:30 p.m. Sunday and held overnight. He was arraigned Monday at Sag Harbor Village Justice Court and released. </caption0><photoCredit0>Terry Renna | AP file photo </photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>Associated Press</p></bylineMeta></div>

Brian France takes leave from NASCAR following DWI, drug arrest