Daytona 200 Winner Passes
J
ohn Ashmead, best known
for winning the 1989 Daytona
200, has died. His sister Leslie
said he died in hospice care in
Stuart, Florida, on Sunday night,
October 16, after a short battle
with cancer. He was 59.
Ashmead's upset victory in
the 1989 Daytona 200 aboard a
three-year-old privateer Honda
VFR750 Superbike remains as
one of the most unexpected wins
in the long history of the storied
race. His Daytona victory marked
several milestones—it was the last
AMA Superbike victory for the
legendary Honda VFR750, and
Ashmead also became the first
rider from Florida to win the 200.
After the Daytona 200 celebra-
tions, Ashmead said one of the
most memorable moments came
later that night when he was all
alone.
"I went back to my hotel room
and made myself a TV dinner,"
Ashmead recalls. "I went out
on the balcony to eat and that's
when it hit me—that was me who
won the Daytona 200!"
Ashmead continued racing in
the Daytona 200 for years and
went on to set race participation
and mileage records for the race.
John is survived by his mother
Shirley Ashmead, sisters Leslie
Felton and Ruth Ann Ashmead
and brother Vaughn Ashmead.
Larry Lawrence
IN
THE
WIND
P32
John Ashmead, who won the 1989 running of the Daytona 200,
passed away in Florida.
PHOTO: LARRY LAWRENCE
