DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- After parking his car for the final time, Dave Marcis was ready to hang a "Gone Huntin"' sign on his transporter.

The 60-year-old Marcis, who announced he was retiring after the Daytona 500, ran just 79 laps Sunday before a blown engine ended his day. It was his record-setting 33rd start in the race and his 882nd overall in a 35-year career.

	Dave Marcis' day and career ended earlier than he hoped on Sunday.

"I've got some hunting trips planned with some friends that I'm looking forward to," Marcis said of his plans. "I'll still be around, though."

A piece of paper got stuck to the front end of his Chevrolet early in the race, causing the water temperature to rise to 250 degrees.

"You can't run them at 250-260 degrees," Marcis said. "You can't do that."

The problem forced Marcis to drop out of the lead pack, and even when the crew was able to remove the paper during a pit stop, the car couldn't keep up.

"We were lucky, we got the caution, we got it cleaned up and the water temperature came back to 200 degrees," he said. "We were sitting there going along trying to catch up, but ever since it's been that hot, the engine hasn't run right."

As his crew pushed his car into the garage, Marcis was met by a large group of reporters. Marcis, the last of the independents to regularly drive on the NASCAR circuit, was surrounded when he got out of the car, and spent about 20 minutes patiently answering questions.

He finished seventh in the second 125-mile qualifying race Thursday and had hopes of ending his career with a similar run in the 500. After starting 14th, Marcis quickly moved into the top 10 before the engine ran hot.

Richard Childress Racing provided Marcis with an engine and helped prepare the car. Childress also had one of his Busch Series crews in Marcis' pit.

"We did everything we could to give Dave a good run in this race," said his brother, Bob, who serves as the team's crew chief. "The car was driving good, it was running good, but we just had that problem with the piece of paper."

Marcis broke a tie with Richard Petty for most Daytona 500 starts, and he trails only Petty (1,177) in career starts.

"Richard is just a super guy and good friend, and it was an honor to share the record with him," Marcis said. "But it felt good to break it, too."

Marcis retires with five career victories, but none since 1982.

The day ended on a less-triumphant note than it began for the race from Wausau, Wis. Marcis was given a standing ovation when NASCAR president Mike Helton thanked him for his contributions to the sport during the pre-race drivers' meeting.