NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

Former NHRA Top Fuel star Darrell Gwynn’s Coors Extra Gold Top Fuel dragster will cross the Mecum Auctions block at The World's Largest Collector Car Auction Jan. 15. The car is scheduled to go on the auction block between 4 and 6 p.m. Eastern.

The car, driven by Gwynn to his last win at the 1990 NHRA Gatornationals, was donated by the Tiegs family back to the Darrell Gwynn Chapter of The Buoniconti Fund. Gwynn finished in fourth place in NHRA championship points in 1989 and scored five national event wins, including the NHRA U.S. Nationals, and set three national e.t. records.

The car’s legacy is closely tied to The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, an organization Gwynn has supported for more than three decades, with branding first applied personally by Gwynn months before his paralyzing injury during an exhibition run in England, weeks after the Gatornationals win.

Gwynn kept his team intact as he returned to the sport as an owner and team leader. Replacement driver Frank Hawley went on and finished sixth in NHRA series points in 1990 for Gwynn and won an emotional first race back in this car at the 1990 NHRA Springnationals.

In the more than three decades since the accident, Gwynn has championed the cause, using the dragster’s enduring legacy as a beacon for awareness and support.

“This car means a lot to me,” Gwynn reflected. “It represents memorable victories and my ongoing support for The Miami Project and The Buoniconti Fund.”

Today, the dragster stands as a unique symbol of not only Gwynn’s dominance in the sport at the time but also his resilience, and it highlights the connection between motorsport and research. Through public appearances and fundraising, the race car continues to raise awareness about spinal cord injuries and supports the mission for a cure. 

Gwynn car auction details