Meridian racer gets ‘emotional’ win for first time since an accident left him paralyzed
June 12 didn’t start out well for Aaron Marcum and his crew, but he couldn’t help but remember what his grandpa always said about drag racing.
“That’s when you win is when you have adversity,” Delbert Marcum would have said.
So when the fuel pump broke on the younger Marcum’s Chevrolet S-10 pickup before the start of timed runs at Firebird Raceway’s 43rd annual Fox Hunt, maybe he should have seen this win coming.
Marcum, a 1997 graduate of Meridian High, started racing at Firebird as a teenager and eventually progressed to traveling the country as a professional driver on the NHRA circuit in the Super Gas and Super Comp classes. But a freak accident at his family’s cabin in the summer of 2016 left him a C6 quadriplegic.
The 41-year-old Meridian resident has never let his physical challenges keep him from his passion. Marcum’s truck has been modified with hand controls in place of the usual foot pedals for the gas and brakes, allowing him to continue competing in the sport he loves.
And for the first time since his accident, Marcum returned to the winner’s circle in the Super Pro class on June 12 at Firebird Raceway with a pass of 10.98 seconds on a 10.96 dial in at 119.30 mph. His opponent, Andy Strunk from Emmett, finished at 10.82-123.25.
“I’m still in awe a little bit. … After all this time, it was pretty emotional,” Marcum said. “… Everybody was crying. … It was just nuts.”
Marcum helped guide his friend, Steve Robert, through the repair of the broken fuel pump just before the final timed runs wrapped up. He then had to win six straight rounds to claim the Super Pro title.
“I was just ecstatic. I’m so used to looking over and seeing their win light come on and getting close,” Marcum said. “I was really stuck in that rut, so to speak. But I looked over and my light came on and it was like, ‘Boom! Finally.’
“It was a relief and each round that that light came on, it built that much more confidence.”
When he first returned to drag racing after his accident, Marcum had a goal of winning at least one more time for his grandpa. Although Delbert Marcum died from pulmonary fibrosis on June 2, 2019, at the age of 80, his presence was felt by everyone at the track the day of his grandson’s victory.
“I wanted to win another race for my own self, knowing that I could be a quadriplegic and still be able to achieve that,” Marcum said. “But it was mostly about my grandpa. Saturday morning we were supposed to be headed out to the track for the next race and it was pouring down rain. My grandma (Jan Marcum) said: ‘Maybe your grandpa’s just so happy he’s crying tears of joy right now.’ ”
This past offseason, Marcum and his crew “tore” his truck apart, redoing the rear suspension and correcting a few issues that allowed for greater consistency. He is currently tied for second in the Super Pro class at Firebird with 179 points, just 10 points back of first place. And his confidence is better than ever.
“Aaron is a real inspiration to all of us in the racing community. His skills behind the wheel of his ‘86 S-10 pickup are second to none,” Firebird Raceway General Manager Scott New said. “As the weather simmered last Friday, Aaron recorded winning elapsed times of 11.04, 10.98, 11.00, 11.00, 10.99 and 10.98 to beat some of Firebird’s top Super Pro racers. Quite simply, it was one of the real highlights of the year at Firebird.”
