You can’t keep a determined racer off the track, and Bill Lutz is certainly determined. The 2016 season did not go as planned for Lutz and his racing aspirations due to some serious medical issues from complications during a routine gallbladder procedure, but 2017 is already looking up. Lutz is set to be a hired gun for a killer new Radial vs The World car at Lights Out 8 with the chance to drive it even more in 2017.

The twin-turbo Mustang that Lutz will be piloting is owned by Pennsylvanian Rob Sphar, who needed a talented wheelman to step into the seat.

“Rob was looking for a driver with experience going fast, and being a Pro Mod driver and former 10.5W driver, he felt I fit the bill pretty good,” Lutz says. Sphar plans to have Lutz drive the car at bigger events, including Donald Long’s races in South Georgia, the Outlaw Street Car Reunion, the Yellow Bullet Nationals, and the World Cup Finals.

The 1992 Mustang that Lutz will be driving was built by Carl Stevens at Xtreme Race Cars. Under the hood will be a 521 cubic-inch billet Hemi built by Stevens with a Sonny Bryant crank, JE Pistons and GRP rods. A set of NRE Superman heads will help the Hemi breathe while using Manton rocker arms and a Bullet Racing camshaft. Boost will come from a pair of 98 mm Garrett turbos with a Haltech 2500 Elite ECU controlling everything. An M&M Transmission TH400 and Neal Chance Racing Converters billet lock-up torque converter will send the 4,500 horsepower to a Driveshaft Shop four-inch driveshaft.

For Lutz, getting back into a racecar like this has been a long time coming, and he’s plenty ready. “I’ve had many dreams about this day coming at Lights Out 8 when I finally strap back in the car. I know I’ll probably need to take some time and just sit in the car and reflect on the journey that I’ve been through. I know my recovery will be complete when I release the transbrake for the first time,” Lutz explains.

We here at Dragzine wish Bill all the best and look forward to seeing him back at the track in 2017 racing again!