Dave Marcis

Dave Marcis (born March 1, 1941 in Wausau, Wisconsin) is a retired driver on the NASCAR Winston Cup (now known as the NASCAR Sprint Cup) circuit whose career spanned five decades. Marcis won five times over this tenure, twice at Richmond, including his final win in 1982, and collected 94 top 5 and 222 top 10. His best championship results were 2nd in 1975, 5th in 1978, 6th in 1974, 1976 and 1982, and 9th in 1970, 1980 and 1981.

Marcis was most famous for two things: racing for his own team and racing while wearing wingtip shoes to absorb the heat in the car. He made the Daytona 500 every year from 1968 until 1999. The 2002 Daytona 500 was the last time Marcis raced in NASCAR.

Career overview

Marcis' career is notable in the history of the NASCAR Winston Cup Series. While he is best known as the last of the non-factory supported independent owner drivers, he is also known as one of the top drivers of the 1970s. During his career, he drove for series championship car owners Nord Krauskopf and Rod Osterlund. Marcis retired in second place on the all-time starts list with 883 behind Richard Petty. Ricky Rudd and Terry Labonte have since passed him on the list. Marcis often owned/drove the #71 car. He finished 8 times in the Top 10 season long driver's points.