Book Review

Darrell Gwynn At Full Throttle

Reviewed by Alyssa Stahr
10/9/03

y first writing assignment here at DRO is to write a book report. Even though I know very little about Drag Racing, (I mostly watch NASCAR) I am excited to be able to contribute in this way. This book definitely piqued my interest of the sport. I gained more of an insight into the world and family of Drag Racing and hope to learn more in the future.

Darrell Gwynn At Full Throttle is a story of determination and unconditional love. As told by Erik Arneson, the story begins with Darrell's childhood curiosity of racecars. At first all he wanted to do was ride in one and go fast, he wasn't too concerned about the mechanical aspect. With his father Jerry's help, he finally got into a racecar.

As Darrell got older, he began to think mechanically about racing and started to win more races. He was always either at the racetrack racing, or at one testing his newest car. He eventually had to learn how to drive a huge trailer to haul the car around the county for testing since his father was too busy to travel to every test site.

While most of the beginning of the book talks about how Darrell got his start in racing, the first few chapters do hint at his personal life. It was a fair comparison, however, because all Darrell really thought about in the beginning was racing. He always had a girlfriend, but it wasn't until a childhood pal, Lisa Hurst, came back into his life that he was as serious about a girl as he was about racing. They were engaged to be married in 1991, just a few months before Darrell's accident

The accident happened in April of 1990 in England. It was drizzling that day and he had loaned some of his usual safety equipment to another drive. Even if one did not know that he was about to crash, there was a feeling that something was not right.

Chapter six, entitled, "Thirty-Five Days of Hell," was the chapter that brought about the most emotion in me when reading the book. While in the hospital, Darrell had to have his left arm amputated and was not sure if he would ever walk again. The outpouring of get- well wishes from fans, fellow racers and his family were enormous. Lisa wrote in her diary about how most of the days were spent reading cards from home. She and Darrell's parents were at the hospital for the entire month he was there. Many friends from the states flew over to see Darrell, and were astonished at what a positive demeanor he had, considering the condition he was in.

Flying home was not an easy task. There had to be a special airplane that was equipped with all the necessary items Darrell would need to fly. The worst part was the fact that Darrell had to be stabilized for the trip home. The doctors inserted a "halo" device to his skull, a surgery that Darrell said was the most pain he had felt since the accident.

As the book progresses, there are more stories about Darrell's personal life than his racing life. While sponsors and personnel changed hands numerous times, his family was the one constant. Darrell and Lisa were married in 1993, two years after his accident. They built what Darrell described as their "dream home" in South Florida. It was built handicapped accessible and had plenty of room for children. After many attempts at in vitro fertilization, Lisa finally became pregnant and gave birth to a baby girl named Katie. Katie was the 25th baby born through the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, which ironically was a charity that Darrell had chosen to sponsor before his accident.

After reading Darrell Gwynn's story, I had mixed emotions. I was so sad that something that terrible could happen to such a wonderful person. But after reading about how Darrell, his family and the racing community coped with the accident, I was so proud of all of them. Sometimes bad things happen to good people. At least Darrell always had someone by his side. Those who know Darrell Gwynn either personally or professionally will possibly gain more insight into his personal life after reading At Full Throttle. For those of us who have never met Darrell, this book is a great inspiration for living each day to its fullest.