[h=1]3-time Daytona 200 winner Klamfoth remains active[/h] Thursday, March 16, 2017 by GODWIN KELLY

Dick Klamfoth back in the day. Photos: ISC Archives & Research Center



Dick Klamfoth is in town this week, 88 years young and acting nearly as spry as when he won the Daytona three times when he really was young – 1949, ’51 and ’52.
If you’ve never met Klamfoth, you’ve missed out. He’s one of the original bad-asses who built his legend on the old Daytona beach-road course. He was known for his talent – and for his unique racing uniforms.
Hand-made by a family member, they featured an artistic “K” logo on satin that made him look like a comic book superhero. Sort of like the Flash on two wheels.


Klamfoth visited the ISC Archives & Research Center in Daytona Beach several days ago, in a quest to replace a number of photos he and his wife Beverly lost in a house fire in December 2014, in Thornville, Ohio.
Mission accomplished. When Klamfoth heads back home, he’ll have replacement images of many of his greatest career moments.
The center provided us with two pictures of Klamfoth – one from his DAYTONA 200 glory days and another “instant classic” of him holding court in the center, telling one of his many stories about his personal good old days.


Also this week, Klamfoth was part of an annual gathering at the oceanfront DAYTONA 200 monument. In the 1990s, he and his wife secured a small plot of land near the beachside band shell and raised money to build the monument. It is dedicated to the champions of the DAYTONA 200 races held on the beach from 1937 to 1960 prior to the event moving to Daytona International Speedway in 1961.


Each week this blog will highlight items from the ISC Archives and Research Center.
Fans may visit the ISC Archives and Research Center as part of a Daytona International Speedway “VIP Tour” that provides race fans an opportunity for an intimate, exclusive look behind-the-scenes at the “World Center of Racing.”
Klamfoth, 88, visited the ISC Archive & Research Center earlier this week.

In addition to the ISC Archives and Research Center visit – where fans can see artifacts, past champion trophies, historic images and more – the VIP Tour provides an insider’s look at areas such as the Drivers’ Meeting Room, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series garages, tech inspection and the Daytona 500 Club President’s Row.
Fans can have their photo taken at Daytona’s famed Gatorade Victory Lane and enjoy a birds-eye view of the entire 2.5-mile track from the new Daytona Rising Stadium. The tour concludes with access to the Coca-Cola Theatre and a close-up look at Denny Hamlin’s Daytona 500 winning car.


In addition, VIP Tour guests also get a visit to the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America, which has moved to DIS from Novi, Michigan. The MSHFA is located in the DIS Ticket and Tours Building.
Admission to the VIP Tour is $52 per person and advanced reservations are encouraged as availability is limited. Reservations can be made in person at the Daytona International Speedway Ticket Office or by calling 877-306-7223.