NHRA (1980-1990)

• 18 Top Fuel victories
• Set nine NHRA & one IHRA Top Fuel records
• 1983 Top Alcohol Dragster Champion
• NHRA Lifetime Achievement Award (2009)
• Named one of NHRA’s 50 Greatest Drivers (2001)
• Active philanthropist via the Darrell Gwynn Foundation

The second-generation wheelman was named one of the NHRA’s 50 Greatest Drivers All-Time in 2001 for what he accomplished in a tragically abbreviated career. Gwynn began in Alcohol Dragster in 1980, securing 10 wins in four years including the 1983 Top Alcohol Dragster World Championship. He moved to Top Fuel in 1985, where he captured 18 victories overall and never finished lower than fourth in the championship between 1986 and 1989. He set nine NHRA and one IHRA Top Fuel record. An accident during a 1990 exhibition in England resulted in paralysis and the loss of his left arm. As an owner, Gwynn has fielded TF cars for such drivers as Frank Hawley and Cory McClenathan. A supporter of The Buoniconti Fund long before his accident, he started the Darrell Gwynn Foundation in 2002 and, in 2014, opened The Darrell Gwynn Quality of Life Chapter of The Buoniconti Fund. Gwynn was inducted into the International Drag Racing Hall of Fame in 2002 and received the NHRA Lifetime Achievement Award in 2009.