Photo – Midwest Racing Archives
ARCA began racing at the 2.5 mile Daytona International Speedway in 1964 and the inaugural race winner was Nelson Stacy. In addition to Stacy’s win, ARCA pioneer Iggy Katona also appeared in the race.
Katona was a six-time ARCA Series champ (1955, 1956, 1957, 1962, 1966, and 1967) throughout his 21-year career. His all-time mark of wins (79) was overtaken by Frank Kimmel last year at Kansas for his 80th win. Katona was going to be a threat once again in the 1967 Daytona ARCA 250. He was no stranger to victory lane at Daytona, by picking up the win in 1965.
Les Snow, of Bloomington, IL, won the pole for the race. His engine blew on the second lap. It was also a race featuring drivers like Coo Coo Marlin and Dave Marcis, who would become NASCAR Grand National/Winston Cup Series drivers.
Another driver in the field was Ralph Latham, a 34-year-old truck dispatcher who raced regularly on the ARCA circuit in the Midwest.
The race had three caution flags for ten laps, as the last one came out with ten laps to go for a stalled car, as Dorus Wisecarver’s lead of nearly a half a mile lead vanished. It bunched up the field, setting up a seven-lap dash to the finish.
After the restart, Katona fought his way around Wisecarver for the lead, with Latham not too far behind. Katona and Latham were neck-and-neck on the last lap, with Katona still out front. Latham passed him on the backstretch, then held off the ARCA veteran by one car length to pick up the win and collect $5,100.
An additional highlight, alongside Latham’s last-lap pass, was when Johnny Roberts went tumbling end-over-end on the backstretch during the race.
Latham died of cancer in August 1986 and each year the Ralph Latham Memorial is held at Florence Speedway in Union, KY. Katona passed away in December 2003 at the age of 87.
1967 Daytona ARCA 250 Top Ten
- #29 Ralph Latham (made a last-lap pass for the win)
- #30 Iggy Katona (six-time ARCA champ and 79 career wins)
- #41 Dorus Wisecarver
- #68 Andy Hampton
- #69 Bill Kimmel (father of Frank Kimmel)
- #12 Gil Hearne
- #19 J.T. Putney
- #04 Coo Coo Marlin (father of former Cup driver Sterling Marlin)
- #4 Shad Wheeler
- #38 Rene Charland
Notables