When it comes to modern drag racing, Joe Irwin’s Fast Forward Race Engines is one of the premier builders of the Ford Coyote engine platform. His engines have dominated grueling events and set records, but the story behind the success, revealed in the video interview above by That Racing Channel, is deeper than just horsepower.

That legacy began in Hialeah, Florida, at his grandfather Stan’s shop, Custom Engine Service. The Irwin family raced offshore boats, and their shop’s reputation for building powerful engines helped them secure a major contract with MerCruiser in the 1970s. Joe spent his childhood summers in that shop, absorbing a simple but powerful work ethic.

On his grandfather’s influence, Irwin said, “Grandpa Irwin, there was only right and there was wrong, and he instilled right in me every time.”

After the family business closed, Joe forged his own path, starting with stock car racing before founding Fast Forward Race Engines in 2009. While he initially focused on big-block Chevy engines, his career took a turn around 2015 when he built his first Ford Coyote. He was immediately blown away by the engine’s potential.

“We ran a stock crank up to 2,500 horsepower, you know, so it was pretty eye-opening, let’s say,” he recalled. This discovery kicked off an intense development program based on a simple philosophy.

“Each step of the way we learned and we learned what not to do and we learned what to do and what worked,” Irwin explained.

He put that process to the test in drag-and-drive events like Sick Week, where cars must survive a thousand miles of road driving between races. Joe’s engines proved not only powerful but incredibly durable, often beating larger, more exotic powerplants.

“This little Coyote gets it done time and time again,” he noted.For Joe Irwin, the motivation has always been the thrill of competition and the satisfaction of earning a victory. He described the feeling of being in the winner’s circle as something you can’t buy. He is now passing on that drive to his family, instilled in him generations ago. With his wife, Gina, running the business and his young son already a fixture in the shop, the story is far from over.

As Joe looks to the future, he said, “I think the fourth generation of the Irwin name is going to be pretty neat to see.”