Darrell Gwynn
Darrell Gwynn pretty much grew up in drag racing. As a young boy he was at his father’s side every chance he got, watching and listening to everyone he came in contact with and absorbing as much knowledge as possible as a spectator. Darrell’s first time in competition came at the wheel of and alcohol dragster where he proved that the years of observing were not wasted. At the wheel of an alcohol dragster, Darrell put several national event trophies on the shelf at home and in doing so put together an impressive four NHRA Winston Top Alcohol Dragster Championships and several inductions to the Car Craft Magazine All-Star Drag Racing Team.
Unlike some competitors who have problems when they move from one category to another, Darrell was successful in maintaining his winning ways when he moved up to top fuel dragster. Regardless of what the event was or where it was, Darrell was never far from the winner’s circle. Then fate stepped in and threw a big curve at Darrell. After selling his dragster and shipping it to England, Darrell agreed to shake its down at Santa Pod Raceway, where he was involved in a horrendous crash that left him paralyzed from the chest down. A lot of people would have been discouraged and given up, but not Darrell. He accepted the challenge and not only become stronger for it, but also inspired a lot of those around him to become stronger as well. Darrell has become a tireless worker on behalf of The Miami Project, a group that is dedicated to helping victims of paralysis return to a more normal lifestyle.
Even while working to rebuild his own life and helping others do the same Darrell never lost his love of the sport and was soon back at the racetrack as a car owner. Everyone knows the major ingredient that keeps race cars performing his money, and Darrell was successful in not only putting together top performing teams, but also inspiring new blood into the sport in the form of the New York Yankees ball club. The team with Mike Dunn driving was consistently one of the quickest and fastest cars throughout season and exceeded the 330 MPH on more than one occasion. One of the more prestigious awards for Dell Gwynn came in 1999 when he was presented with the Car Craft Magazine Ollie Award, but his big reward comes from continuing to be part of drag racing and being able to share this with his wife and daughter.