Florida D.A. says no special treatment given to NASCAR chief after erratic driving complaint

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) _ Police officers who responded to NASCAR President Brian France's condominium in response to a report of an erratic driver did not give him special treatment, a prosecutor

Wednesday, December 13th 2006, 10:38 am

By: News On 6

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) _ Police officers who responded to NASCAR President Brian France's condominium in response to a report of an erratic driver did not give him special treatment, a prosecutor said.

The Volusia County state attorney's office reviewed the results of an internal investigation conducted by the police department and determined last week that authorities handled the case properly.

On Nov. 6, a motorist called 911 after spotting a man in a Lexus driving erratically. The caller, store clerk Shirley Hill, followed France to the guard shack of his condo while she spoke to the dispatcher and described the man driving on curbs, striking a parked car and scraping a tree.

When questioned, France told officers he was drinking a soda in his car and ``bumped into something,'' the initial report states. Officers said they found evidence of a spilled soft drink when they checked the inside of his car.

France, 44, was not cited and he was not given a field sobriety test. Officers said he did not smell of alcohol, Police Chief Mike Chitwood said at the time, though he ordered an internal investigation.