Luc Tanguay

Luc Tanguay, 68, of Berwick, Maine, passed away on February 13, 2026, at Wentworth-Douglass Hospital, with his family by his side, following medical complications from a lengthy illness. He was born on January 8, 1958, in East Hereford, Quebec, Canada.

He was called to the pits by the racing gods, as racing with his son and grandson was his greatest joy.

Luc was larger than life, the kind of man whose presence filled a room and whose laugh carried across a racetrack. Above all else, he loved his wife, Holly, and his family. Racing brought him the love of his life. He met Holly 46 years ago at Riverside Speedway, beginning a partnership built on horsepower, loyalty, and unwavering devotion.

Luc’s racing journey began at Riverside Speedway in Groveton, New Hampshire, participating in spectator drags. He later moved on to ice racing in 1987 at Milton Three Ponds, before taking to the asphalt at Lee USA Speedway in 1992, where he raced until 1999. Over the years, he earned the respect and admiration of his racing community, including Track Talk’s Most Popular Driver in 1995, the 1995 Sportsmanship Award, the 1996 Craftsmanship Award, Rookie of the Year in 1999, and Mechanic of the Year in 2013. Whether behind the wheel, under the hood, or leaning against a trailer with a cold beer in hand breaking down every lap, racing was never just a hobby. It was his language.

He was known for telling it like it is. If Luc was busting your balls, you knew he liked you. If racing was on, he was watching. If you wanted to know what went wrong on the track, he would gladly explain it and how he would have done it differently. “Rubbing is racing,” he would say. Over the years, rivals became friends and friendships became family.

More than the trophies and titles, Luc was most proud of his family. He began teaching his son Patrick about racing at a young age and later became the greatest cheerleader and toughest critic for both Patrick and his grandson Alex. Watching them race brought him his deepest joy. He would have done anything for the people he loved.

Luc is survived by his devoted wife, Holly Tanguay; his son, Patrick Tanguay and significant other Denise Lemieux; his daughter, Sonya Owens and her husband Steve; his grandchildren, Alex Tanguay and Tyler Leclerc; and his “adopted” son, Jeff Givara. He is also survived by his siblings Gaston Rodrigue, Gisele Dallaire, Carole Rodrigue and her partner Steve Plumley, Lisette Placey and her husband Lanny, and Guy Tanguay and his partner Suzanne, along with many in-laws and numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins.

He was predeceased by his parents, Rosilda and Remi Tanguay; his in-laws, Roland and Pauline Johnson; his brother Raymond Rodrigue; his sisters Jeanine St. Pierre and her husband Claude St. Pierre, and Rosette Rodrigue; his brother-in-law Jean Marc Dallaire; and his sister-in-law Pauline Rodrigue.

Luc will be deeply missed for his laugh, his smile, his kindness and generosity, his knowledge and love of racing, and the post-race garage talks that everyone looked forward to. The tracks will be quieter without him, but somewhere, a fresh engine is revving.

A celebration of Luc’s life will be held at a later date. In true Luc fashion, it will be a “Garage Party,” just the way he would have wanted.