Father time

Marcis turns back clock, qualifies for record 33rd time

Dave Marcis holds the record with 32 consecutive starts in Daytona 500. AP

By Denise N. Maloof, CNNSI.com

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- On Tuesday, Dave Marcis was showered with an outdoorsman's retirement goodies; a pile of camping supplies, a $50,000 check, a brand-new boat.

On Thursday, he got the only parting gift he really wanted -- a berth in Sunday's 44th Daytona 500.

"Mr. [Bill] Jordan, our sponsor from Realtree Outdoors, asked me if that was better than turkey hunting and I told him no," Marcis said. Then he paused, surrounded by television cameras, and called to his wife, "You hear that, Helen?"

Even sweeter, the 60-year-old Winston Cup driver earned it with his own four tires. He finished seventh in Thursday's second 125-mile qualifier after starting 11th, and was thrilled that he didn't have to rely on his first-round qualifying time to sneak in. He'll start 14th on Sunday.

"I didn't get want to get in on my time, I wanted to race my way in," said Marcis, who will retire after Sunday's race. "I wanted to win the 125-miler. I would have loved to have won it and just dedicated it to my late friend Dale Earnhardt, but we didn't and hats off to [winner] Michael Waltrip."

Marcis did have some assistance. The last of NASCAR's old-time owner-drivers -- he races in worn-out leather wingtips and relies on a four-man crew -- uses engines from longtime friend Richard Childress. Marcis will now make the 882nd start of his career. He trails only Richard Petty (1,177) in the number of races, even though Marcis hasn't competed in a full schedule since 1996.

"It makes me feel great because I know how much it meant to him, his last race," said Childress, who called Marcis, "a genuine person and a great friend."

And the younger generation apparently agrees. Kenny Wallace pounced immediately for post-race congratulations. So did Robby Gordon, who added his thanks for drafting help. Tony Stewart interrupted a news-conference recitation of Marcis' retirement gifts to joke, "Basically that means he's going to just park in the infield and torment us every weekend now that he's not racing any more."

"It's pretty neat, really," Marcis said of all the attention. "When I started racing, quite a few of these fellows weren't born yet."

Marcis was young once, too, back when most NASCAR drivers recruited friends to turn wrenches and help pay bills. The irony is that he's operated that way for most of his career, racing when he could, and trying not to complain when his small-budget team couldn't make fields. He's won five races in 881 career starts.

"So many people have helped me I've been kind of afraid to quit, because I didn't want to let them down," he said.

And his legacy will be forever intertwined with Daytona. His failure to make last year's race ended a run of 32 consecutive starts in the 500, a NASCAR record.

"I began my career here in 1968," Marcis said. "And just coming here off of quarter-miles and third-miles in Wisconsin dirt and asphalt ... coming here and looking at this place, it's mind-boggling. It's like you can't believe it, and then to get in that first Daytona 500 was good, it was fun, but it was scary."

Scary also described his feelings early in Thursday's 125-miler. Five laps into it, Marcis was 23rd. Five laps later, a seven-car incident on lap 10 boosted him from near the back of the 26-car field into 14th, and he gradually worked his way into the top 10. The top 15 finishers in the second race locked in automatic Daytona 500 berths.

"Our car's a good car and it's handling well," Marcis said. "So I think we'll get a run in the Daytona 500."

Things haven't always been this tough for Marcis. He was one of the rising stars in the 1970s, gaining four of his five career victories and winning several poles while driving for other owners, including Roger Penske.

Perhaps his last chance at stardom came when he drove for Rod Osterlund in 1978. Although he didn't win, Marcis stayed in the chase for the Winston Cup championship until the final few races, eventually finishing fifth with a new team.

A disagreement with Osterlund led Marcis to announce he was quitting, and even though Osterlund asked him to reconsider, Marcis kept his word. The move proved beneficial for an unproven rookie named Dale Earnhardt, who joined Osterlund's team and won the 1980 Winston Cup title, the first of seven.

Marcis has driven his own equipment ever since, except for a stint with now-defunct Rahmoc Racing in 1984. Even though he hasn't won since 1982 and hasn't finished in the top 10 since 1994, he's earned the respect of most of the other drivers.

"People look at him in this day and time, and they see the 71 car running at the back of the pack," Kyle Petty said. "But he's not there by choice and he's not there by talent. He's an incredible race car driver.

"For him to do what he's been able to do all these years on the financial restraints he's had has been pretty remarkable."

 

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.