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When Darrell Gwynn began his racing career in the National Hot Rod Association, he attacked the sport with fierce determination. The fire burned in his eyes at the mere thought of his next round of competition. There was always another barrier to overcome. It finally got to the point where Gwynn would not just overcome barriers, but actually knock them down. As his sportsman victories began to mount, people noticed. Big time sponsors noticed. Everything fell into place.
By the time Gwynn was ready to turn professional in 1985, he had accumulated 10 wins in Alcohol Dragster competition and one championship. People, especially competitors, noticed "the kid."
At the tender age of 23, Gwynn moved up to the Top Fuel category. While he didn't win a race in his 12 starts, he did qualify number one once, and made it to the final round in two races, including the biggest race of all, the U.S. Nationals. His sixth place finish in the Winston Championship did not go unnoticed.
The following year, in 1986, Gwynn was the talk of Top Fuel. The kid had even the most seasoned veterans scratching their heads by winning three races in the first half of the season. He was in a dogfight with legendary Don Garlits for a championship. Garlits would ultimately prevail, but Gwynn's four wins, three runner-ups and string of record-setting runs marked him as a quickly rising star in a sport that featured the likes of Garlits, Kalitta, Muldowney, Ormsby, LaHaie, Amato and Hill.
Over the next three years, Gwynn would win another 13 races, but never get the gold ring. He finished third, second and fourth in points, but couldn't call the championship his own. 1990 would be the year that everything changed. The barriers would grow taller. Overcoming them would be his greatest challenge.
Gwynn started his campaign that year in familiar fashion, winning the Gatornationals at a track he considered his home track, in his only final round appearance in four starts. It would be his 18th and final win as a driver.
Fate took Gwynn to England in April that year. In an exhibition race at Santa Pod Raceway his dragster suddenly broke and veered left into the retaining wall at halftrack, causing major life-threatening injuries to the 28-year-old driver. A terrific battle of faith and determination allowed Gwynn to survive the ordeal, but he was left paralyzed and he lost his left arm. But the competitive fire still burns deep within and it rages in his eyes.
Since that time, Gwynn has changed roles from star driver to team owner. He has employed Frank Hawley, Mike Brotherton, Mike Dunn, Andrew Cowin and Cory McClenathan to handle the driving duties. His father, Jerry Gwynn, himself a former NHRA world champ, and the biggest influence on Darrell's career decisions, is still a vital part of the team as manager. Despite all the changes, Darrell Gwynn is still the driving force that keeps the team focused and directed toward a championship.
"I realized a long time ago what this team needed to be successful," says Gwynn. "At first, I tried to do too much, trying to tune the car, run the business and handle all the details."
"It was unfair to the team for me to stay involved in tuning the car the way I used to do it," Gwynn added. "They're the ones working on it 15-18 hours a day. Tuning the car is a hands-on thing. It's nearly impossible for someone in my physical circumstances to do that. I still spend a lot of time with the team discussing the data from the computer in the race car."
"It was good therapy for me early on, to use my brain and think about the car," he said, talking about the mental demands of being a crew chief. "It was just time to move on. What do I have to prove traveling around to every single race? I spend a lot of my time now working with the sponsors and trying to build for the future. I've got a great wife and an amazing little girl. I let those guys handle the race set-up while I concentrate on the future. That's a full-time job, believe me."
Gwynn grew up watching and helping his father, Jerry, who drove Alcohol Funny Cars. While Darrell obviously got his love of the sport from his dad, he didn't even attempt to drive Funny Cars. He went directly to dragsters.
His career began in 1980 in an alcohol dragster. He was winless that year, but won three times in 1981. He added two wins apiece in 1982 and 1983 and three wins in 1984. The competitive spirit he developed then still burns today.
Given the fickle and fragile environment of high-dollar motorsports sponsorships, Gwynn has found himself in and out of the world of professional team ownership in recent years. Nonetheless, what has never changed is his willingness to meet challenges head-on and to live life on his terms. In the process he has unknowingly found himself a role model to an international following of respectful admirers.
Gwynn's signature style of barrier busting continues both in front of and beyond the reach of the public eye. In 2001, at the biggest event in NHRA's 50th anniversary year, the U.S. Nationals at Indianapolis, Gwynn demonstrated his willingness and ability to live life to the fullest. At the site of his most prestigious racing win, Gwynn shocked and wowed a capacity crowd by driving a custom-built, hand-controlled dragster down the Indianapolis Raceway Park quartermile track in a special exhibition run. Built in secrecy by former crewmembers as a surprise 40th birthday gift, Gwynn was presented the unique present hours before he took to the track to the delight of all in attendance. Though traversing the quarter-mile at a snail's pace compared to his Top Fuel days, the symbolism contained within the on-track return of the once fallen racing champion was felt far and wide.
Beyond such dramatic feats of a no-barriers lifestyle, Gwynn continues to make his presence felt in both business and civic arenas. As a businessman, Gwynn presides over Darrell Gwynn Collectibles. In 2002, Gwynn launched the Darrell Gwynn Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to the cure of paralysis. That endeavor finds Gwynn active in fund-raising and educational programs. The foundation's Quality of Life initiatives include programs such as a national wheelchair giveaway to financially underprivileged paralysis victims.
In addition to the above, Gwynn maintains an often-dizzying pace of public speaking, technical consultation and sales work on behalf of a variety of companies.
Says Gwynn of his life-without limits career, "What I've learned is that while barriers often seem insurmountable at the onset, it's amazing what can be accomplished through determination and creativity."
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