Bill France Jr. hospitalized

UPDATE Former NASCAR chairman Bill France Jr. has been diagnosed with a virus, according to ESPN.com's Marty Smith. France is already showing signs of improvement after being admitted to Halifax Hospital in Daytona Beach, Fla. on Wednesday. France, 73, is under the care of his personal physician. He has struggled breathing recently as a side effect of extensive radiation and chemotherapy treatments for cancer since 2000. He has been relying on a motorized scooter to get around. "My health hasn't been too good," France said during media day before the Daytona 500 in February. "It's a good thing I [turned the sport over to others]. I have a hard time going to events. I'm sucking air all the time."

03/14/07 Former NASCAR chairman Bill France Jr., who has vehemently hated Champ Car for years, was hospitalized Wednesday night at Halifax Medical Center, where he was under the care of his personal physicians. He suffers from cancer and his health appeared to be declining in recent months.