Engine of the Year Contest - Engine Builder Magazine

Engine of the Year Contest

Now in its seventh year, our Engine of the Year contest is back, and this could be our best group of nominees yet! To help us choose the 2023 winner, we’re going to need your votes! Simply scroll through the Top 10 engines below and choose the engine you think deserves the crown of Engine of the Year 2023.

Sponsored by

The Top 10 engines are the most popular engines from our Engine of the Week series, sponsored by PennGrade1, Elring Das Original, and NPW Companies, and one will be named Engine of the Year with your help. Vote below by clicking the circle under the engine you think should win, then hit submit at the bottom of the page. Your name and email IS required. Voting ends at 12am EST on October 27, 2023. The winning engine and engine builder will be announced in December.


Select your favorite engine:

Shop: DMX Demon Motorsports
Engine Builder: Doc Baker
Location: Bryant, AR
Features: a 500 cid billet Hemi block, Hemi heads, new valves, new springs, a Bryant billet 4.500” crankshaft, Diamond billet pistons, BME billet aluminum rods, a dry sump oiling system, and a supercharger.
Performance: 3,200 hp
Application: 1971 Dodge Demon methanol drag car
Select this engine
Engine Builder: Jason Pickett
Location: Fort Collins, CO
Features: 427 cid Dart block, a Callies Magnum crankshaft, Callies Enforcer connecting rods, Diamond pistons, Frankenstein LS3 cylinder heads, a Frankenstein Freakshow intake, Crower valvetrain components, twin 80mm Forced Performance turbos, and Turbosmart wastegates.
Performance: 2,000 hp and 8-second 1/4-mile passes
Application: 1993 Buick Roadmaster Hearse drag-and-drive car
Select this engine
Shop: Bullet Racing Engines
Engine Builder: Nick Bacalis
Location: House Springs, MO
Features: a CN billet aluminum block, a 1” raised cam, a Bryant crankshaft, R&R rods, custom Ross pistons, Total Seal rings, Calico-coated Clevite bearings, keyway Jesel lifters, a custom Bullet camshaft, Manton rockers and Manton pushrods, a PJS manifold, a PSI screw blower, a Bohr blower hat, a Dailey dry sump oiling system, and a Wyo Motorsports balancer pulley.
Performance: 3,500-plus hp to run 3.50s-3.60s in the eighth
Application: Pro Mod drag racing or Truck Pulling
Select this engine
Shop: Knowlton Thunderheads and Racing Engines
Engine Builder: Travis Knowlton and David Senderhauf
Location: East Bethel, MN
Owner: Joshua Norris
Features: a Dart Little M block, 245cc AFR heads, a Hilborn EFI intake manifold, a Scat 4.185” stroke crankshaft, 6.000” Eagle connecting rods, JE pistons, and T&D rockers. Tuning done by Andy Starr of Starr Performance and Consulting
Performance: 9.60s-9.70s in the quarter mile
Application: 1967 Chevy Nova drag-and-drive car
Select this engine
Shop: Fast Forward Race Engines
Engine Builder: Joe Irwin and Brett LaSala
Location: New Port Richey, FL
Features: a factory Ford 302 cid Predator block, custom sleeves, Manley pistons, MGP aluminum connecting rods, a factory Ford crankshaft, Ford race bearings, production GT350 Voodoo cylinder heads, Ferrea valves and springs, custom COMP Cams camshafts, factory Ford lifters, followers and timing chains, a Plazmaman intake and intercooler, a dry sump oiling system, twin 76mm Precision Next Gen R turbos, Turbosmart wastegates, and MoTeC engine management
Performance: 2,500 hp at 9,500 rpm, and mid-6-sec quarter miles
Application: 2012 Mustang
Select this engine
Shop: ACE Racing Engines
Engine Builder: Stefan Rossi
Location: Torrance, CA
Features: a 400 cubic inch Dart aluminum LS Next block, a Callies crankshaft, GRP aluminum rods, custom pistons, Brodix cylinder heads, titanium intake valves, Inconel exhaust valves, a solid roller camshaft, Crower rockers, Crower lifters, and twin 86mm Precision turbos, all controlled by a FuelTech FT600.
Performance: mid-to-low-6-sec quarter mile passes
Application: Michael Westberg’s Chevy S10 and his Doorslammer drag car
Select this engine
Shop: Flying J Racing Engines
Engine Builder: Jamey Swanson
Owner: Jeremy Mifflin
Features: a Dart Iron Eagle block, a billet crank, aluminum rods, aluminum pistons, some very low compression Trick Flow high-port 240 heads that have some hand porting on the exhaust, Jesel rockers, a mechanical fuel pump, an F1X ProCharger, and FuelTech engine management
Performance: 1,200 horsepower
Application: 1986 Mustang
Select this engine
Shop: Pat Musi Racing Engines
Engine Builder: Pat Musi
Location: Mooresville, NC
Features: a 731 cid billet aluminum CN block, Dart billet cylinder heads, a 70mm Bullet camshaft, a Jesel belt drive, Jesel lifters, Jesel rocker arms, GRP connecting rods, Victory valves, a Musi Racing Engines intake manifold, a Dailey Engineering dry sump oiling system, a Moroso oil pan, three stages of nitrous, and fuel injection from EFI Technology.
Performance: 1,600 horsepower normally aspirated
Application: Outlaw 4.840 drag racing class
Select this engine
Shop: Harrell Engine & Dyno
Engine Builder: Pete Harrell
Location: Mooresville, NC
Owner: Stefan Gustafsson
Features: a Brodix block, a Callies billet crankshaft, aluminum rods, T&D steel rockers with oilers, BAM lifters, 1/2” pushrods, a mild camshaft, and a 118mm Gen II Precision turbo.
Performance: 2,100 hp
Application: 1989 C4 Corvette drag-and-drive car
Select this engine
Shop: Prestige Motorsports
Engine Builder: Doug Aitken
Location: Concord, NC
Features: an aftermarket Dart or World Products block, AFR CNC’d cylinder heads, DSS, SRP or JE pistons, H-beam connecting rods, an Eagle or Scat crankshaft, a solid roller camshaft, PAC springs, Scorpion roller rocker arms, and Borla induction.
Performance: 600 horsepower
Application: 1968 Shelby Mustang
Select this engine
Please include your contact information: