KITCHENER, Ont. – December 3, 2018 – Durnin Motorsports and car owner Jeff Durnin are pleased to announce 22-year-old Darren Dryden as the newest driver of the team’s No.43 Crate Sprint Car. The Freelton, Ont. native will pilot the car in fulltime Strickland’s GMC Crate Sprint Car competition on Friday nights at Ohsweken Speedway in 2019. Dryden is the third driver in team history after Kyle Durnin and Ryan Hunsinger.
“I’ve known him for a long time. It’s going to be neat because he’s keen,” Durnin said. “With as long as I’ve known him, there’s lot of familiarity and it will be easy for us to click together. He’s well-spoken, he’s a polite kid, he’s super talented and he’s a great driver. It’s going to be a lot of fun.”
The Durnin Motorsports No.43 with Dryden at the wheel will carry support from Durnin Motors, Saratoga Homes, Retail Design Group and Epic Racewear in 2019. The team is also expecting to announce additional marketing partners in the upcoming weeks.
“I think it’s an unbelievable opportunity for me,” Dryden said. “Sprint Cars have always been my passion, but I never thought I could fund it or find a team to join. I’m thankful Jeff is and I’m very excited to join the team. It’s definitely something I’ve wanted to do for a long time. Who knows how far things could go with Jeff and I.”
Durnin and Dryden have a long history dating back to the early 2000s at the Waterloo Regional Kart Club, where Dryden competed regularly against Jeff’s youngest son, Kyle Durnin. While Jeff brought Kyle to dirt racing four seasons ago and Dryden continued to race on asphalt, the two friends kept in touch.
After four years of open-wheel racing on asphalt, Dryden is especially excited about the opportunity to make his first foray into dirt track racing in a Durnin Motorsports Sprint Car at Ohsweken.
“Ohsweken is an unbelievable facility with the product they’ve put out over the years and it’s definitely growing,” Dryden said. “It’s definitely a track I want to be a part of. Jeff and I will still probably make a few trips out to other tracks, but Ohsweken is going to be a great place to race weekly.”
Durnin kept a close eye on Dryden’s development from Mini Stocks and Vintage Modifieds to the Can-Am TQ Midgets. Dryden had a breakout campaign on the Ontario-based tour in 2018, earning 12 Feature wins and 25 top-five finishes in 27 A-Feature starts, obliterating his previous personal best of two wins in a season. Dryden’s ability to be fast, but also a clean driver caught Durnin’s attention.
“He’s consistent and he’s smooth. He charges, but he’s smart and calculated about it,” Durnin explained. “He’s a good kid and his driving style as always been steady and fair.”
Dryden believes his open-wheel experience in both Vintage Modifieds and TQ Midgets will be beneficial to him in his transition to dirt racing.
“I love the speed and the ability to use your throttle to turn the car is something I’m looking forward to,” Dryden said. “Driving a car aggressively, like I do with my TQ Midget, will help me a lot, but its going to take the first few times on dirt for me to realize what its going to take to be smooth.”
Dryden will have a couple of Ohsweken racers to lean on as he makes his transition to the clay in 2019, including former TQ Midget champion and current 360 Sprint Car racer, Mack DeMan, who previously fielded a TQ Midget car for Dryden.
“I think he’ll be a great help,” Dryden said of DeMan. “He always helps people get comfortable in their new car if he can. I’m also close with Josh Shantz and Lucas Smith, so they’ll be strong assets to help me get comfortable.”
Stay tuned to Durnin Motorsports website and social media at the links below for the most up to date information in the coming weeks.
PREVIOUS SEASON STATS
Darren Dryden – Lucas Oil TQ Midgets – 27 Starts: 12 Wins, 25 Top-5s, 25 Top-10s
DURNIN MOTORSPORTS MEDIA
Website: www.durninmotorsports.com
Facebook: facebook.com/DurninMotorsports
Twitter: @DurninMotorsprt
Darren Dryden and Durnin Motorsports are proud to partner with several dedicated marketing partners for the 2019 race season, including Durnin Motors, Saratoga Homes, Retail Design Group and Epic Racewear. For more information on 2019 marketing opportunities, contact Darren Dryden via email.
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