Sometimes the best race cars happen when people put their heads, and more importantly, their resources together to build it. Many times each person has something to bring to the performance table, whether it be an engine, transmission, a chassis, or from a knowledge/talent standpoint. Regardless, a team most often does better than an individual, especially when it comes to drag racing.

Louis Sylvester’s Junkyard Dog pushrod combination will be living right here hopefully by the Norwalk or Joliet NMRA race.

Louis Sylvester has been racing in the NMRA Factory Stock class for a few years now, and when he swapped out his record-setting Zapp Racing Engines pushrod combination, nicknamed the Junkyard Dog, for a PI-headed Two-Valve between the 2013 and 2014 season, the engine sat in Sylvester’s garage. Efforts to sell the Junkyard Dog proved futile, but when John Zapp of Zapp Racing Engines, and his son Tim bought a ’87 Fox Mustang 4-cylinder coupe, that set the drag racing wheels into motion.

Living as a 4-cylinder coupe up until now, it is hoped the car will be deep into the 10s in Factory Stock trim.

“I offered it and all other parts needed to turn their car into a Factory Stocker,” Sylvester says. Along with the pushrod combo, the car will boast a Voodoo Racing front suspension, while out back components will be from Fast Forward Race Cars with all Strange Engineering components. Since Factory Stock cars routinely run in the 10s, Straightline Performance will install the requisite roll cage.

“We feel with all the data we have acquired over the years we can keep up with the front runners,”Sylvester adds. Zapp and Sylvester hope to have the car ready for the NMRA Norwalk race, or the Super Bowl race at Route 66 Raceway.