Darrel Mathew Craine

Born in Spokane, Washington, on April 25th, 1958, to Richard and Carol Craine, Darrel was the fourth of five sons, followed by three sisters. His early years were spent in San Jose, California, where he attended Leigh High School. Known for his athleticism, Darrel excelled in pole vaulting, even breaking his brother Denis' record with a vault of 14'3" during his senior year. His passion for cars was evident early on, having purchased his first Mustang coupe from his parents while still in high school.

After graduating, Darrel embarked on a career journey that ultimately led him to the semiconductor industry following his graduation from Heald Business College. He found success and fulfillment in this field, reflecting his strong work ethic and commitment to excellence.

In 1982, Darrel married his first wife Carla, and they welcomed their first child, Jason, in 1988. A pivotal moment in their father-son bond came when Darrel introduced Jason to quarter midget racing, igniting a shared passion that spanned generations. This shared love for racing culminated in the founding of Craine Motorsports, a testament to Darrel's enduring influence on his family.

In 1996, Darrel married Vivien, and they raised two children, Dylan and Shelby. In 2003, they relocated to Sacramento, where Darrel began a successful career with Varian Medical Systems as a field service engineer. His dedication to repairing radiation oncology machines reflected his compassionate nature and desire to help others.

Beyond his professional achievements, Darrel found joy in his hobbies, including his cherished 1970 Boss 302 Mustang, golfing, and spending time outdoors. He was known for his infectious laughter and smile, genuine warmth, and ability to connect with others, making everyone feel welcomed and valued.

Darrel's greatest source of pride was his family, whom he adored deeply. He often stated that his most significant achievement in life was raising three exceptional children. Darrel is survived by his loving wife of 28 years, Vivien; his children, Jason, Dylan, and Shelby; and his grandchildren, Grayson and Carly. He is also survived by his brothers and sisters: Richard, Dave, Denis, Loren, Lynnette, and Julie. Darrel was preceded in death by his parents, Richard and Carol, and his sister Lisa.

Darrel Mathew Craine will be fondly remembered for his unwavering integrity, dedication to family, and the profound impact he made on all who were fortunate enough to know him. His legacy lives on in the hearts of his family and friends, forever cherished and deeply missed.

Shelby's Tribute:

My dad has always been my best friend. He’s been with me through everything. All the good times, the bad times, sad and happy. All my failures and successes, dad was always there. He’s been my number one supporter for everything I’ve ever done in my life. If anyone had the pleasure of getting to know my dad, he’s the most selfless person in the world. He loves his family and friends and he’s always made sure to take care of everyone else before himself. I’ve always said it’s one of his greatest traits but also one of his worst. Whenever you needed someone to talk to, to listen, if you needed his help, he was always there. Even when not saying anything at all, somehow he always knew that all I needed was a smile or a hug. He’d drop whatever he was doing to make sure everything was okay. He always knew how to put a smile on someone’s face even when he was going through something himself. That, to me, is the definition of a great man. He was the first man I’ve learned to love, my first hero, and my role model. He was a man of simple taste but had a complex, profound impact on those around him. He was a lover of cars, music, gardening, but most of all he loved his family. He has a voice that made you smile when he walked through the room and he shared his love with everyone around him. He taught me to appreciate the beauty of simplicity and find joy in the ordinary. He lived his life on his terms, guided by principles of honesty, kindness, and integrity. I appreciate his patience, his guidance and his unwavering faith in me. Despite me having a void in my heart because he’s now gone, I know he would prefer us to celebrate his memory with joy rather than sorrow. I’ll miss hearing him say “Hi baby” or “My Shelby” whenever I walk through the door. I’ll miss his little giggle and funny shuffle away after he knew he made a crude joke. I’ll miss watching the taped nascar races with him even though we’re a week late and know who already won. And I’ll miss hearing him say how terrible his raiders are but him still cheering them on.

As we say goodbye, I promise to honor your memory, uphold the values you taught me, and make you proud. I love you, Daddy, and I miss you more than words can express.

Jason's Tribute:

Dad, I was sitting in bed last night trying to think of what I was going to say today and I just can’t come up with any words. I’m speechless. Your time here was cut way too short for such a great man.

The bond that I had with my dad was not like many out there. When it came to cars, horsepower, and burnouts, we could talk hours and never get bored of it. He was the one who got me into racing cars at a young age and even though my mom hated me doing it they were memories I will never forget.

I think the family (Viv, Dylan, and Shelby) can remember when we all went to the drag races together for the first time and we got to watch the top fuel dragster race down the track. The look on my dad’s face when they went by us, was priceless. We had so much fun together as a family that trip. I get to go again next week and there won’t be a second I won’t be thinking of you or wanting to send you videos like I did when we were in Indy. He helped support the racing endeavor that we are now doing with his Grandkids and without my dad getting my me into it, my kids wouldnt get to share this amazing bond that I now have with them. Now I can understand the love and passion he had with me. We will continue to race on in memory of him. Everytime the kids get in the car, I know he will be there watching down on them and keeping them safe. I can remember the last trip we took together was Las Vegas earlier this year for a national race for Grayson. We cruised in the motorhome from sac to Vegas. We got to bond like you would never imagine. 10 hours in an RV with Grayson was one of the more precious moments ever. We listened to Pink Floyd and Comfortably Numb and sang it together. Every time I hear this song, it brings tears to my eyes. Back to the RV trip, Grayson called it a “guys” trip even though when we got to Vegas, mom (Alyssa) was going to be there. He got to watch Grayson race AND….watch nascar in the same trip, I know he was having the time of his life. NASCAR would go buzzing by, we would look at each other with this face of “this is badass and I’m so happy we could do this together”. Only if I knew this would have been the last time we got to do this together. Dad has 2 amazing grandchildren (Grayson and Carly) that love him more than he would ever imagine. They loved going over to the house only to run up and down those stairs, they say grandpa and grandma have the best house because they have stairs. They also really loved when we got to see grandpa because he or Grandma always brought High Chew candy, it didn’t matter where we were they knew when they saw them that a big bag of high chew candy was with them. Recently they would always ask, when does grandpa get to go home from the hospital and I would say soon. Well sooner came quicker than we had hoped but they saw grandma just before we left our big Indy trip in July. I can’t explain how big of a person you were to our family. You were my best friend, someone I looked up to all the time and lastly the best dad anyone could have. I’ll miss the phone calls of us just talking about the kids or how racing was going and what we needed to do differently on the cars to make them faster. I’ve learned a lot from you and one thing you taught me was family first. I can promise I’ll try my best to do the same with mine.

I love you dad and a day won’t go by that I won’t think of you.

May you rest in peace.

Until next time.

Dylan's Tribute:

My Dad was special. He is someone that you can always count on being there, not because you told him or cause he had to, but because he wanted to be the helping hand. I’d like to thank everyone for being here to not only support my family and I but being here for my dad. As he always joked about not having friends but here you all are.

I could talk about my Dad all day, but I'm going to share this—I asked him what it was like in those first few moments of fatherhood. He told me it was like floating and it was so peaceful to hold each one of us. So special and so small and gentle. He said he would do anything to take care of us. He did just that. He dedicated his life to being the best dad and best friend anyone could ask for.

I will miss him and love him forever.