The 1990 NHRA Gatornationals were an interesting race for reasons no one really knew at the time it was happening. The neat thing about looking back at these old races is that we have a 30 year cushion of history to survey between now and then and we can apply some of that to the event and its participants. For Kenny Delco it was an amazing day. He won his first and only NHRA pro stock race, he became the only guy in NHRA history to win a pro stock race in a Pontiac Grand Prix, and the best part is that in 2020 he finally has as good a car as he did in 1990 and the dude is threatening to win again.
Perhaps the largest overriding story though is that of Darryl Gwynn, the man that Don Garlits referred to as “The Wolf” because he was hungry and because he’d tear your throat out on the race track if necessary. The closest race to Gwynn’s Miami home, there was maximum satisfaction in stomping all comers, which the team did. As Steve Evans notes, no one had more fans crowding their trailer than Darryl Gwynn did at Gainesville. No one knew that this young man who was on the rocket like trajectory in the sport would not ever compete in another NHRA top fuel event as a driver. No one knew that he’d run the Winston Invitational and never sit in a top fuel car in America again. No one would have foreseen Easter Weekend 1990 at Santa Pod and the accident that would change Darryl Gywnn’s life forever. The work that the man has done since then to aid those that need mobility help has been nothing short of astonishing. Applying his tenacious racing spirit to the cause of helping others has allowed Darryl Gwynn to make positive changes in the lives of countless people.
There are plenty of interesting upsets and twists in this one. Pro Stock is a great watch, hell all of it is awesome. Sit back and take a trip back to the George Bush presidency and the world of NHRA drag racing as it was in 1990.
