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Hall of Fame Driver Lloyd Holt Passes
Weedsport, NY (June 5, 2022) – The Northeast Dirt Modified Hall of Fame joins the racing community at large in mourning the death and celebrating the life of popular Canadian driver Lloyd Holt, who passed away on June 4. He was 84.
Holt, from St. Catharines, Ontario, was inducted into the Northeast Dirt Modified Hall of Fame in 2014.
A pioneer racer on the Niagara Frontier, Holt’s first stab at the sport came in 1957, when he and his brother-in-law Harvey Hainer took a stock Hudson with a big six, removed the glass and upholstery, installed roll bars, and turned it out at Merrittville Speedway in the Jalopy class.
Moving up to Sportsman Modifieds, joined by car owner Ray Stevens, the trio became one of the teams to beat in the 1960s, racing at Merrittville and Humberstone on the Canadian side of the border, and Ransomville in the U.S. in their recognizable #15 coaches and coupes.
In 1965, Holt swept two of Merrittville’s biggest races—the Jerry Winger and John Spencer Memorial events. Holt became the first home-track driver to represent Merrittville at Super DIRT Week on the Syracuse Fairgrounds when he beat Will Cagle to win the track’s 1973 Schaefer qualifier.
Expanding into Central New York, Holt became a regular at Maple Grove Speedway in Waterloo, NY, in 1967, and an occasional runner at Weedsport. When Rolling Wheels opened in mid 1969, the Canadian was one of the first on the scene. Engaged in thrilling battles against the likes of local favorite Sammy Reakes, Holt took that track’s first full-season Modified championship in 1970.
In addition to the Rolling Wheels title, Holt was the 1967 champion at Humberstone Speedway and the 1969 Waterloo champ. In the course of his career, which spanned four decades, Holt won feature races at Merrittville, Ransomville, Humberstone, Rolling Wheels, Weedsport, Waterloo, Five Mile Point, Skyline and Speedway Park.
Lloyd Holt was installed on the Merrittville Speedway Wall of Fame in 2013. In addition to his racing achievements, he was also an accomplished horse trainer and was still riding up until two years ago.
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