IHRA Super Rod champ Marcus makes own name for himself

It happens to Dave Marcus Jr. nearly every time he comes to the racetrack.

The 2013 International Hot Rod Association Super Rod world champion is asked if he's the son of former NASCAR star Dave Marcis.

The different spellings of their last names should clue in fans that they're not related. However, Dave Marcus Jr. is a second-generation racer. He's a drag racer who competes in the IHRA Summit Sportsman National Championship.

"My dad ran Stock and Super Stock in the '70s and then he quit for a while," he said. "In the early 80s, I was probably around nine years old and a lot of the guys in our neighborhood were racing. So, I started hanging around them and it got Dad racing again."

It also gave Dave Jr. his start in racing. He was a crew member on his dad's team before he was old enough to move to the driver's seat.

While his racing has been in a straight line instead of round and round, he does have some similarities with the retired NASCAR veteran (pictured).

Both have championship pedigrees and both migrated to the South. Marcis moved from Wisconsin to North Carolina in the heart of NASCAR country. Marcus moved even further South to Sarasota, Florida.

In addition, both preferred a full-bodied racer over an open-cockpit car.

"For years, I ran dragsters," Marcus said. "Then, I went back to the door car and it was so much fun, just a great ride."

His current ride is a 1992 Chevy Camaro with a 565 cubic-inch engine. It also features a powerglide transmission, a round-tube chassis and Mickey Thompson tires.

While winning the championship was a huge moment, he looks back at the start of nearly three decades in racing as another favorite moment of his.

"I go back when I first started running Super Stock in a Chevy II wagon. I had only been racing a year, but I made it to a $5,000 final in Orlando," he said. "There, I beat Bob Harris, who was one of the top racers at the time. Another time that year, I made it to the finals at Gainesville where I raced David Simmons in the final."

It was just the beginning of what has been a long, great ride. It's a ride which Marcus doesn't see ending anytime soon.

"I'm 47, but I plan to race for several more years," he said. "I would like to race my entire lifetime."

For more on the IHRA, visit IHRA.com.