Dal D Denton

Dal Denton always loved the sound of horsepower, whether it was the steady hoofbeats of his cutting horses in the arena or the thunderous exhaust roar of the race cars he tuned and drove on the dragstrip.

He was a champion in so many other ways, always kind to his friends and always larger than life and most of the time a fun person to be around.

Dal was born in Austin, Texas on November 29, 1960. His dad brought home an old broken go cart when Dal was about 5 or 6. In no time, Dal had it up and running and was bitten by the speed bug.

He drove everything from door slammers in his youth at Little River Dragway to jet dragsters and alcohol and nitro funny cars and dragsters in Europe.

He was a two-time NHRA Division 4 Top Alcohol Funny Car champ, winning championships in 1985 and 1986 with his Donovan-powered Sudden Pleasure Trans Am — at a time when few others could figure out how to make the engine

combination work. His ’84 divisional crown also carried him to a lofty fourth-place finish in the world championship battle.

Dal won the 1988 IHRA Funny Car world championship, then carved out a second career as an in-demand driver and crew chief in Europe for Top Fuel and Alcohol Funny Car teams.

Away from the racetrack, Dal was an eight-time National Cutting Horse Association and American Southwest Cutting Horse Association World Champion.

He had vast horse and riding knowledge that he loved to share if you worked hard and showed him you wanted to improve. He had no time for those that didn’t.

Dal and Daniel owned and operated ProWorks and made many lifelong friends through their work. Before Dal became ill, he was working with Daniel, preparing for him to follow in his father’s footsteps on the dragstrip and in life.

Dal was never satisfied and pushed himself and those around him to do better.

“My dad always told me to always do my best and that’s all he could ask,” said Daniel. “It was tough love sometimes. Good and bad, just giving each other shit back and forth, and picking on each other. “

The only time they weren’t giving each other a good-natured hard time was when they were truly worried about the other or were mad at the other, but Dal did this with not just Daniel, but Daniel’s friends and those that he was close to. He loved Daniel, his horse Shorty, and his dogs, Duke and Tigger.

In lieu of flowers, PLEASE make a donation to a children’s medical charity - Shriner’s Hospital or St Jude Hospital, a cause dear to Dal’s heart.

Dal is survived by his son, Daniel Denton, and Daniel’s wife Molly; his dad, Alvin “Joe” Denton; and his sister Darla Rapier and her family. He is preceded in death by his mom Margie Denton.

A graveside service for Dal will be held Sunday, October 17, 2021 at 2:00 p.m. at Cook-Walden/Capital Parks Cemetery, 14501 North Interstate 35, Pflugerville, Texas 78660.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.cookwaldencapitalparks.com for the Denton family.