Corey Heim and his team in victory lane after the June 21, 2026 NASCAR Cup Series race at Naval Base Coronado. Photo: Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class James D. Peer, U.S. Navy (public domain, via Wikimedia Commons).
Hickory Motor Speedway will hold a celebration of life for spotter Lloyd Garner on Monday, Nov. 2, from 3 to 5 p.m., according to a post from the track and a family update it shared with it.
The track’s post calls Garner an outstanding spotter who worked with some of the best talent in racing, and one of the true characters of the motorsports family. It says the update came from his sister, and the update directs questions about the event to two people by first name.
South Boston Speedway posted its own tribute on Oct. 28, saying Garner was “authentically himself” and was always happy to offer advice, crack a joke or just talk racing. It describes him as a friend to the drivers he watched over on race day. Neither track’s post gives his age, a cause of death or a date of death, and we did not find an obituary or funeral home notice.
Who he worked with
A 2019 post by NASCAR reporter Matt Weaver quotes a radio message from Garner to Corey Heim: stay in the hunt until 20 to go. Heim won a NASCAR Cup Series race at Naval Base Coronado on June 21, 2026, according to the Navy’s photo record of the event.
Weaver wrote on Oct. 28 that Garner had won with more big names than most people realize, and that drivers trusted having him in their ear.
The service comes earlier this month after the sport gathered in Charlotte for Kyle Busch’s celebration of life, and as the championship race at Homestead approaches. Hickory’s event is Monday afternoon at the track.
Should NASCAR give its top spotters an award of their own, or does the job work best staying in the background?
Sources: Hickory Motor Speedway and South Boston Speedway social posts; Matt Weaver’s posts on X; U.S. Navy photo record.
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