Ray Evernham (Class of 2023) was born on this date in 1967.
MONTEREY, California (August 16, 2025) - The Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (MSHFA) announced today at the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion that Joe Boyer and Bill Holland are the Historic Category Inductees in the Hall's 38th Induction class that will be ushered into the Hall of Fame of ALL motorsports next March.
Boyer and Holland join seven other members of the Class of 2026 who were announced in April at the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach: Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (Stock Cars), Steve Gibbs (Drag Racing), Pete Lyons (Media), John Morton (Sports Cars), Kenny Roberts, Jr. (Motorcycles), Sammy Swindell (Open Wheel), and Dave Villwock (Powerboats).
The 38th Annual MSHFA Induction Ceremony Presented by Toyota Gazoo Racing takes place March 9 - 10, 2026 at the Hilton Daytona Beach Oceanfront Resort in the heart of Daytona Beach, Florida.
The Historic Category is for nominees whose main motorsports achievements occurred prior to 1960. Induction is decided by 40+ historians, authors and experts. The other seven categories are decided by a straight vote among 200+ voters, half of them motorsports journalists, historians and other experts, the other half inductees themselves.
“We are delighted to be welcomed back to the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion and to recognize another pair of American racing legends who have earned their place in the Hall of Fame of all American motorsports,” said MSHFA president George Levy.
IMSA President John Doonan, who made the announcement at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca on behalf of the Hall, added, “It’s always special when we can look deeper into the history books and recognize those that have forged a path for all of us in modern motorsports. Through their grit and personal perseverance, they’ve created a route for extraordinary men and women to excel, grow, and validate the beloved world of motorsports as we know it.”
Joe Boyer (1890-1924) is the only person to win the Indianapolis 500 and APBA Gold Cup. Boyer gained fame as a member of the Frontenac and Duesenberg teams from 1916 to 1924. If Boyer didn’t win, it was often because his cars failed while upfront. In 1921 he was leading teammate Jimmy Murphy in the French Grand Prix when a connecting rod failed 12 laps from the end. His 1924 Indy 500 win came after he took over teammate L.L. Corum’s car on lap 109. Car owner Fred Duesenberg said, “Put that ship out front or burn it up.” He moved the car from fourth to first in 70 laps to take the checker, becoming the first official "relief" driver credited with the win in the 500. Tragically, he was killed three months later while racing wheel-to-wheel with Murphy at the Altoona, PA board track. Murphy was killed a week later.
Bill Holland (1907-1984) assembled one of the most impressive Indianapolis 500 resumes ever: In five starts, Philadelphia-born Holland scored a win (1949) and three seconds (1947-8, 1950). He nearly won his rookie race (1947). The fastest qualifier, he led comfortably until shortly before the end when the Lou Moore outfit held out the “EZY” sign for him and teammate Mauri Rose. Holland obliged, Rose didn’t. (Holland let the 1996 inductee by because he thought he was a lap down.) Holland might’ve had more success but lost the 1952 and ’53 seasons to a suspension for participating in a three-lap 1951 NASCAR charity event. In AAA Eastern sprint car racing, he finished third in 1939, second in 1940 and captured the title in 1941. In AAA National Championship racing, he was second in 1947 and third in ‘49.
Joe Boyer relieved LL. Corum in the 1924 Indanapolis 500 after his own car succumbed to mechanical failure.Boyer took the No. 15 Duesenberg Special to victory. He became the first official "co-winner" in the race's history. (Photo courtesy: Indianapolis Motor Speedway)
The Class of 2026 honorees will be formally brought into the MSHFA on Tuesday, March 10, in the 38th Annual Induction Ceremony Presented by Toyota Gazoo Racing, the traditional black-tie gala that is the crowning event of the two-day, multi-function induction celebration. The Induction Ceremony will be preceded the night before on Monday, March 9, by the traditional "Heroes of Horsepower" reception and strolling dinner at the MSHFA Museum on the grounds of Daytona International Speedway. American Honda sponsored this year’s Heroes of Horsepower reception that was another sellout event.
Bill Holland speaks to car owner Lou Moore on pit road during practice for the 1949 Indianapolis 500. Holland drove Moore's No. 7 Blue Crown Special. (Photo courtesy: Indianapolis Motor Speedway)
Daytime events, presented by Toyota Gazoo Racing, include the annual Inductee Welcome Luncheon on Monday, and the annual Inductee Brunch on Tuesday morning. Next year's Historic inductees Boyer and Holland will be ushered into the MSHFA as a featured highlight of the Tuesday brunch. 306 Heroes of Horsepower are currently in the MSHFA, a number that will grow to 315 with the 38th Induction Class.
Joe Boyer (16) was actually leading Deusenberg teammate and eventual winner Jimmy Murphy late in the 1921 French Grand Prix before mechanical failure.
This was the only Grand Prix win by an American in an American car until Dan Gurney in 1967. (Photo courtesy: NASCAR Archives & Research Center via Getty Images)
For more information or to purchase Class of 2026 Induction tickets, visit the MSHFA at www.mshf.com or contact Levy at (248) 895-1704 or glevy@mshf.com.
The MSHFA is housed in Daytona International Speedway's Ticket & Tours Building located in front of the famed 2.5-mile DIS tri-oval. Access to the MSFHA museum is included with every Daytona International Speedway tour, which runs throughout each day, or as a museum-only ticket. The museum is open daily 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. except major holidays. It is visited by more than 100,000 guests each year from every state in America and countries all over the world. For museum tickets call 1-800-PIT-SHOP.
Follow us on social media for up-to-the-minute news and special announcements. The Motorsports Hall of Fame of America is on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MotorsportsHOF/ and on Instagram and Twitter/X at @MotorsportsHOF.
Holland's unequaled run of success at the Brickyard included a win and three second places in a five-year span. Photo courtesy: Indianapolis Motor Speedway)
The MSHFA is the only Hall that honors all American motorsports: cars, motorcycles, airplanes, off-road and powerboats. Its mission is to celebrate and instill the American motorsports values of leadership, creativity, originality, teamwork and spirit of competition. Founded by Larry G. Ciancio and led by first President Ronald A. Watso, it held its first induction in 1989. Watson spent the next 30 years tirelessly building it into the nation’s premier such hall until his passing in 2019. The original museum in Novi, Mich., relocated to Daytona Beach, Fla., in 2016 and greets more than 100,000 guests a year. MSHFA is operated by the nonprofit Motorsports Museum and Hall of Fame of America Foundation, Inc