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Hall of Fame Driver Marcel Lafrance Passes

Weedsport, NY (February 21, 2022) – The Northeast Dirt Modified Hall of Fame sends heartfelt condolences to the family and many friends of Marcel “The Hammer” Lafrance, a French-Canadian racer beloved on both sides of the border, who passed away on February 20. He was 81.

Lafrance, from St. Albert, Ontario, was inducted into the Northeast Dirt Modified Hall of Fame in 2001. 

Lafrance got his start in the early 1960s, racing long-gone Ontario tracks like Castlemen and Regal Speedway, before taking a hiatus to concentrate on work and family. But when Cornwall Motor Speedway opened near his hometown in 1971, Marcel was back for good.

It was a learning curve: it wasn’t until 1978, after purchasing one of Ovide Doiron’s proven winners, that Lafrance began making his mark. His first victory came in August of ’79, beating up-and-comer and future Hall of Famer Bob McCreadie on the blacktop at Ottawa. Four days later he did it again, besting Bob at Can-Am to prove it was no fluke.

From the late ’70s through 1994, Lafrance became a contender in both the U.S. and Canada, credited with over 200 wins at Brockville, Can-Am, Cornwall, Autodrome Edelweiss, Frogtown, Dundee, Ottawa and other tracks along the St. Lawrence River. He sits 15th on DIRTcar’s all-time list of 358 winners, with 66 victories, and is sixth on the Can-Am overall standings. Lafrance won three championships at Brockville (1980, ’82, ’83), one at Cornwall (1981) and one at Autodrome Edelweiss (1986).

With a personality as big as all outdoors, Marcel was a favorite with the fans, who cheered when he would arrive for any night’s action, towing his beige number 15 Modified with his iconic bus hauler.

In addition to his induction in the Northeast Dirt Modified Hall of Fame, Lafrance was also installed in the Brockville Speedway Hall of Fame in 2012.