6/24/2025
Bloomington Speedway
Darin Naida set to race with the IRA Friday night on the Red Clay
Breaking news: Darin Naida set to go Friday night on the Red Clay
Let's talk about a racing legacy'
For starters consider that Darin Naida is a 4th generation racer
Darin’s great-grandfather William “Wild Bill” Naida began his career in 1948 at the famed Ft. Miami Speedway just outside of Toledo Given the popularity of racing in the immediate years post WWII, Bill often raced five times a week. In 1952 he was the Michigan Modified Stock Car Racing champion and took track titles at Motor City Speedway, Mt. Clemens, and Dixie Speedway. One year later he raced in the Sportsman division on the beach at Daytona, Florida. In an impressive outing Bill posted the fastest qualifying time and finished third after mechanical ills slowed his progress. Wild Bill raced until 1957 and is a member of the Michigan Motorsports Hall of Fame.
Bill’s son John first competed in midgets in 1968 but moved to sprint cars two years later. Racing at Ohio’s Fremont Speedway John was the 1970 Rookie of the Year and by 1978 he was the track champion. Yet perhaps more than anything he is remembered for starting the popular Sprints on Dirt (SOD) series and he would land atop the standings in the group’s first two years of existence. John sold SOD in 1987 but continued to successfully race into the mid-1990s. He too is a member of the Michigan Motorsports Hall of Fame.
Dain Naida, the next in line raced briefly in 1994, but began in earnest four years later. In 1998 he was the SOD Rookie of the Year, and he backed it up with a title the next season. While there was a good chance to tack on another SOD championship later in his career chasing points was never his thing.
As for Darin much of his early success came on Indiana soil at
U.S. 24 Speedway in Logansport and Circus City (Miami County) in Peru. Looking back he says, “In 2019 I won quite a bit at Circus City and then at the end of 2020 I got my first non-wing outlaw win,” then after a pause he adds, “then in 2021 I started firing on all cylinders.”
That is a bit of an understatement.
The year after they purchased an outlaw micro Darin won fifteen times, and he bumped that total up the following season. Then when he was fourteen, he was victorious 34 times at six different tracks. He put three micro track titles on his resume and also sat four class records at U.S. 24.
The recent High School grad is in this fourth full year racing sprint cars. In 2022 he was the 410 Rookie of the Year at Attica Raceway Park, Fremont Speedway, and with the AFCS Series. With a solid foundation, in 2023 he scored his first win at the Butler Motor Speedway Mid-season championship race and backed it up the following week in the track’s Chuck Wilson Memorial event.
In 2024 Naida scored a win at Lincoln Park Speedway and is the existing one-lap track record holder. Currently he sits fourth in All Star Circuit of Champions points and has scored win this year at Fremont (OH) and Butler Michigan.
Here is a chance to catch a true rising star
Tommy Kelly KFMediaphotos7 catches Darin Naida setting NTR at Lincoln Park Speedway
Submitted By: Pat Sullivan
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