NASCAR Legend Dave Marcis Reunites With His Iconic 1969 Dodge Charger One Last Time Before the Winston Cup Museum Auction

In a tragic turn of events, NASCAR fans are literally losing a piece of history with the closing of the iconic Winston Cup Museum in Salem. Troubled by legal obligations and financial constrictions, the owners have decided to pull the plug on the facility before the souvenirs and NASCAR relics go for auction next year in January. Amid all this, Dave Marcis, the 5-time NASCAR race winner who spent five decades racing against some of the best drivers, went back in time, detailing his iconic 1969 Dodge Charger that gave the Plymouths a run for their money.

NASCAR nation was treated with a wholesome video of the old-timer where he elaborated on how the car changed hands until it reached its present destination at the Museum, telling a fascinating tale of reunion.

The pioneer of NASCAR rewinds the clock talking about his iconic 426 hemi “Winged Warrior”

Now, if you are a young fan, the name Dave Marcis may not ring a bell for you. But for old-school fans of the sport that grew up watching Plymouths and Dodge Chargers going at it, Marcis is one name that still is pretty close to the heart. The 82-year-old, who was arguably one of the most potent drivers during the 70’s, recently came down to the Winston Cup museum to enlighten us about the brief history of his 1969 426 hemi-engined Dodge Charger.

In the 45-minute-long video, the veteran touched upon a lot of subjects, including how his “Winged Warrior” made its way into the Winston Cup museum. When asked about it, he mentions a guy down in Milwaukee who goes by the name ‘Donnie Danials’, who bought the car before it eventually made its final stop at the museum.

He said, “I kept it and I needed the money, and he [Danials] called me after he had it about for 5 or 6 years, I think he lived with his mother, they were moving something so he wasn’t going to have a garage to put it in and he called me and said you want Win car back and said I’ll give it to you and I said Donnie I don’t have no room for it, no place to store and I said do you want to maybe put it in a museum and he said, yeah, ‘I’d love to’.” 

The car which later was rebranded to #43 by “Little Bud” Moore made its way to Talladega where it was picked up by Moore who later re-badged the #30 to #43, using it for a few race promotions before the museum’s owners’ aunt bought it in.

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Dave Marcis – The Wisconsin NASCAR legend

Long before the glitz and glamor in NASCAR today, drivers had to work their day jobs and find time to polish their racing skills. During the era of big-winged cars, even though the machines were simpler, aspiring drivers had to do a lot to even get into a race car. And Marcis was the kind of guy who would go beyond anything to achieve his goal of being a race car driver.

He had to move from Wisconsin, where he was born, to North Carolina to pursue a career in NASCAR all while he used to work at a Chevy dealership in Bangor. Talking about commitment, we don’t think anybody could’ve been this dedicated like he was. The man borrowed a truck to pull his trailer/home, moved to NC, and stayed there for the decades to come with his wife, Helen.

The man built race cars, fine-tuned them before the sport transitioned to independent manufacturers. During the 70s, he got the opportunity to race for Roger Penske. Sadly, neither the team nor the driver could translate it into a winning year.

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From his racing debut in 1968 till his final race in 2002, across 883 race starts, Marcis proved his longevity and passion for the sport.