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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Darrell Gwynn is a frequent and popular visitor inside the Daytona International Speedway NASCAR garage. He was there Friday morning, making the rounds, shaking hands and enjoying the friendly faces.
The former NHRA superstar organizes the annual Hot Rods and Reels fishing tournament on Daytona's famed infield Lake Lloyd during the Daytona 500 Speedweeks. And hours earlier he hosted current and former NASCAR drivers such as Ryan Newman and Martin Truex, Bobby and Donnie Allison, Dave and Ryan Blaney in the fundraiser -- the money goes to the Darrell Gwynn Chapter of The Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis.
One of Gwynn's longtime and dearest supporters, however, Tony Stewart, couldn't participate in the fishing tournament this year because he's in North Carolina recovering from a broken L1 vertebrae in his back – the result of an all-terrain vehicle accident suffered just weeks before Speedweeks.
And his presence was dearly missed. Gwynn's motorhome, which sits on the lake shore, sported a 40-foot long banner attached to the outside with a message to his longtime friend Stewart: "Smoke Will Rise Again, We Love You Buddy."
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As Gwynn's large gesture demonstrates, Stewart is on everybody's mind.
"I remember when I got hurt," explained Gwynn, who has used a wheelchair since suffering serious injuries in a 1990 drag race. "I remember seeing people holding up the posters for me, the bed sheets with messages in the grandstands. I just started thinking, what if there wasn't all that stuff? People really went out of their way to show they care.
"There isn't much we can really do for Tony Stewart, but we can show we care."
The fishing tournament is something close to his longtime friend, Stewart's heart – the event a must-do; the notorious late-riser has made a point to participate in for years. And that commitment has meant so much to Gwynn.
"I just want to show how much we care and love him," Gwynn said.