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Former NASCAR CEO Brian France pleads guilty to DWI

NASCAR Hall of Fame Voting Day

CHARLOTTE, NC - MAY 23: NASCAR Chief Executive Officer and Chairman, Brian France, speaks during the NACAR Hall of Fame Voting Day at NASCAR Hall of Fame on May 23, 2018 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

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Former NASCAR CEO Brian France pleaded guilty to Driving While Intoxicated in August 2018, Suffolk County (New York) District Attorney Timothy D. Sini announced Friday.

As part of the plea agreement, France is required to complete 100 hours of community service and undergo alcohol counseling before his sentencing date. If he successfully complies with the requirements, France will be able to withdraw his plea of guilty and the charge will be reduced to a traffic violation of Driving While Ability Impaired.

If he is unsuccessful, he will be sentenced on the misdemeanor conviction. France is scheduled to be sentenced in Sag Harbor Village Justice Court on June 5, 2020.

In a statement, France said: “I would like to thank the Sag Harbor Village Justice Court for their careful attention to this matter. I am grateful for the Court’s consideration of all the facts in this case and I will follow their direction and recommendations as we move forward.

“While I made a mistake, this event has also given me the opportunity to reflect on my poor judgment that day, my family and my greater responsibilities to our community. I have learned valuable lessons and will be a better person because of this process.”

At about 7:08 p.m. on Aug. 5, 2018, France was driving a white 2017 Lexus sedan northbound on Main Street in Sag Harbor when he was observed failing to stop at a stop sign by a Sag Harbor Village Police officer. The officer stopped France and observed that France had a strong odor of alcohol on his breath, slurred speech, watery, bloodshot and glassy eyes, and was unsteady on his feet. France was arrested and given a breath test, which revealed his blood alcohol level to be .18 percent.
“This case is a reminder for both residents and anyone visiting Suffolk County this summer that it is all of our responsibility to keep our roads safe,” District Attorney Sini said in a statement. “It is not acceptable for anyone to be driving while drunk or on drugs in our community.”