Six months before the crash that would end his driving career, Darrell Gwynn chose a charity for his sponsor to support and personally put the decal on his race car. He had no idea that, less than a year later, that same organization would help save his life.

A Top Fuel legend with 18 Top Fuel wins, 28 NHRA national event victories, nine Top Fuel records and a place among the 50 greatest drivers in NHRA history, Darrell Gwynn’s story starts long before the trophies.

On this episode of Sons & Daughters, we go back to the beginning. Darrell talks about learning to drive his dad Jerry’s ill-handling dragster at just seven years old, road trips to questionable tracks across the South, and the father-son partnership that meant Jerry was there for every single one of Darrell’s runs down the quarter mile.

We get into Darrell’s incredible 1990 season, which was shaping up to be his championship year, the exhibition run in England that changed everything, and the unbelievable chain of events that unfolded while Darrell was still in the hospital.

But this story doesn’t end with the crash.

Darrell opens up about finding a new purpose outside the driver’s seat, the second act he built for himself, and the people who helped him get there. He also shares the story behind his new photo book, Fortunate Son: My Life in Photos, releasing September 4.

This is a story about drag racing, but at its heart, it’s about a father and son, an unimaginable turning point, and finding a way forward when the life you knew changes forever.

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Colin Cowherd knew he wanted to be a sportscaster at 7 years old.

Growing up in Grayland, Washington, population 847, Colin’s mom gave him a tape recorder, and he started taking it to Mariners, Seahawks and Washington Huskies games to practice calling the action. That childhood obsession eventually became a career that took him from an AMC Pacer and a baseball convention in San Diego to the Radio Hall of Fame and, eventually, building The Volume, the media company he owns today.

On this episode of Sons & Daughters, Colin talks about the moments that shaped his career, including advice from a stranger at a casino bar that he still remembers 40 years later, leaving ESPN, his biggest fear on the air, and why being unprepared scared him more than being wrong.

He also opens up about his health scare, his approach to hiring, and what he’d tell the 7-year-old kid who first picked up that tape recorder.

It’s a conversation about knowing what you want early, staying ready when the opportunity comes, and building something that’s truly your own.

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Leah Pruett’s racing career is full of moments that started with a little bit of fear, a lot of uncertainty, and a decision to say yes anyway.

When Leah posted that she was stepping away from racing to finish school, someone commented and offered her a ride in a Pro Mod. She was terrified, but said yes. That one unexpected opportunity helped put her on a path to the NHRA’s Top Fuel ranks.

Years later, burnout forced Leah to step back and reevaluate everything. Her crew chiefs and sponsors needed a change, and she did too. What could have been the end of one chapter instead became part of the story behind Tony Stewart Racing Nitro.

Leah gets candid about becoming a mom, what it was like to step away from the car, and the importance of having a plan for when she was ready to come back. She also opens up about Tony Stewart’s role throughout it all and how he supported her without ever making her feel like she had to choose between racing and starting a family.

Host Shannon Spake sits down with 13-time Top Fuel winner and 19-time NHRA race winner Leah Pruett for a conversation about burnout, motherhood, ambition, and the unexpected moments that can completely change the direction of your life.

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