Darrell “The Kid” Gwynn and Don “Big Daddy” Garlits strapped into two specialty prepared electric dragsters to give fans of all ages a blast from the past.  But before taking the race cars to the track, the Darrell Gywnn Foundation brought these two electric dragsters to Palm Beach International Raceway for testing in March.

Named the "Garlits vs. Gwynn: Match Races for a Cause," two NHRA Legends return to the track as NHRA celebrates its 60th Anniversary. The match races are designed to raise money and awareness for the Darrell Gwynn Foundation and the Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing.

Gwynn and Garlits will pilot identical Brad Hadman chrome moly chassis top fuel dragsters.  As one of the top builders in the industry, Hadman has built race cars for Larry Dixon, Morgan Lucas, Shawn Langdon and Tony Schumacher.  The major difference between a Top Fuel dragster and match race cars is the powertrain; the electric dragsters are powered by four 12-volt marine DieHard batteries and a 40 amp electric motor.

“In Darrell’s car we had to put in wheelchair motor for the steering,” said Gerry Gwynn, lead engineer and Darrell’s father.  “When he moves his joystick left to right, it tells the sensor to move the electric motor. There’s a shaft that comes down to a rack and pinion that steers the car.  To stop, Darrell pushes back on the joystick and the air brakes engage.”

In his red electric dragster, Gwynn’s race car features sponsors Vision Airlines, Lucas Oil, DieHard, MacTools and JEGS, while Garlits’ car sports the logos of Vision Airlines, Lucas Oil, DieHard and Summit Racing Equipment.

“Our goal is to 25 to 35 miles an hour so the fans can see two old rivals on the track,” continued Gwynn.  “We also made other adjustments to the race car to accommodate Darrell; the roll cage is not a weld-on roll cage, it’s a bolt on to get him in and out of the car.  We don’t want any accidents; we want the fans, Darrell and Don to have a good time.”

Although safety is the focus of the program, Gwynn and Garlits are still racers at heart.  While testing at Palm Beach International Raceway, gears were turning in Gerry’s mind on how to make Darrell’s electric dragster just a touch faster than Garlits’ machine.

“We’d like to make both cars equal, so we’re probably going to put another battery in Darrell’s car, explained Gerry Gwynn.  “Another battery would take the car up to 60 volts.  The extra weight with Darrell’s air compressor and all the stuff he needs probably will offset the weight difference; or, we’ll just add more weight in Don’s car.”

Fans can see the “Garlits vs. Gwynn: Match Races for a Cause" at select races in 2011.  In January 2012, both electric race cars are going to be auctioned at Barrett Jackson to raise money for the Darryl Gwynn Foundation and the Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing.

For more information on the program or to donate, visit www.darrellgwynnfoundation.org.

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