News Director 
Column By: MICHELINA FRISS / DIRTCAR – BARBERVILLE, FL – After a solid rookie season on the Super DIRTcar Series in 2022, Marc Johnson isn’t taking it easy in the off-season.
He revamped his garage to make it more efficient, making sure his cars are receiving the proper maintenance needed to be able to perform at the highest level once the 2023 season kicks off at Volusia Speedway Park, during DIRTcar Nationals, Feb. 15-18.
“I got the motor all freshened up,” Johnson said. “Pretty much the car I ended with last year is in good shape and I just have to take apart the other car and go through that once this one’s done. I’ve just had like six projects opened up right now, so it’s been a pretty busy off-season.”
Another project the Guilderland, NY resident is in the process of completing is transitioning into ownership of the private school bus transportation business he’s worked with for 23 years. His hope is that the new change will financially benefit his racing program going forward. His focus will remain there until the second week in February at Volusia.
“It’s a good little break in the middle of the winter,” Johnson said. “It forces you to get everything ready for the season early, just knock some rust off, and get down in some warm weather and have a good time.
“I’ve been there twice so far. The first year we weren’t really prepared to go down there. Last year, we were. We struggled a little the first couple of days, but we seemed to get the hang of it there and have some pretty good runs at the end.”
In six starts at Volusia during DIRTcar Nationals, Johnson has earned one top five finish, coming last year during the fourth race of the week.
While Johnson is definitive on his presence at DIRTcar Nationals, he is still in the process of figuring out his 2023 plans. With one of his primary sponsors exiting the racing world and his potential business venture, he’s considering his best financial options.
However, no matter what 2023 looks like, Johnson will still plan on being a weekly contender at DIRTcar sanctioned tracks Albany-Saratoga Speedway and Lebanon Valley Speedway with several goals in mind.
“I’d like to win the Malta (Albany-Saratoga Speedway) track championship, I’d like to win the Lebanon Valley championship, and win some more races would be nice,” Johnson said. “That’s always a goal going into the season to win those championships.”
