Max NASCAR speed

[LeakySeals]

What is the max speed currently for a NASCAR? Been watching the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona, and for the first 40 laps till they started to pit it was between 196-201mph. This race seems faster than usual.

Can they go any faster?

Here are the live stats. FAST.

http://msn.foxsports.com/nascar/cup/raceTrax?gameId=20120707009&state=RACE

 

[Drew99GT]

I think Texas Motor Speedway has the fastest Nascar top speeds currently. I know Biffle did some crazy top speed a few years back at Michigan in a test car - 215 mph +?

 

[Turk]

My GTO can do 196-201 MPH.

 

[JHZR2]

Originally Posted By: tpitcher
My GTO can do 196-201 MPH.



Yes but can you?

 

[Malo83]

Originally Posted By: tpitcher
My GTO can do 196-201 MPH.


But not for long

 

[Turk]

Originally Posted By: Malo83
Originally Posted By: tpitcher
My GTO can do 196-201 MPH.


But not for long

True!

 

[Turk]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Originally Posted By: tpitcher
My GTO can do 196-201 MPH.



Yes but can you?

If I had a closed road or on the salt flats, sure.

 

[aquariuscsm]

My friend`s TT Z32 will hit a lil over 170 and let me tell you,that is SCARY!

 

[mikered30]

I think they hit 220 a few weeks ago at Michigan after the repave. Note that is an instantaneous speed, not an average.

 

[rodinator1234]

In 1987 Bill Elliott at Talladega sat the all time speed record 212.80 mph in a Ford Thunderbird. I think that will stand for a long time, probably for ever. He basically caused the restrictor plates we see today.

 

[dave1251]

Originally Posted By: tpitcher
Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Originally Posted By: tpitcher
My GTO can do 196-201 MPH.



Yes but can you?

If I had a closed road or on the salt flats, sure.



I would not recommend doing this very often. For some reason I do not believe a GTO has enough safety features to withstand a 195MPH rollover.

 

[Malo83]

Originally Posted By: rodinator1234
In 1987 Bill Elliott at Talladega sat the all time speed record 212.80 mph in a Ford Thunderbird. I think that will stand for a long time, probably for ever. He basically caused the restrictor plates we see today.

Along with Bobby Allisons crash on the front stretch when his car almost went into the grandstands before restrictor plates

 

[SteveSRT8]

Originally Posted By: tpitcher
My GTO can do 196-201 MPH.


While that is a possibility you may want to prepare for that run quite carefully.

I have had my car to an indicated 178 (3 am on a deserted fenced toll road with a spotter) back when it was nearly new. I would probably not do that now just because of its age. But it was rock solid with absolutely no drama at all.

178 was plenty fast for me!

 

[CarbonSteel]

Originally Posted By: rodinator1234
In 1987 Bill Elliott at Talladega sat the all time speed record 212.80 mph in a Ford Thunderbird. I think that will stand for a long time, probably for ever. He basically caused the restrictor plates we see today.

I seem to remember there was some controversy over that run with them wanting to tear his engine apart. If my memory serves, swirl polishing was done on the combustion chamber and intake/exhaust runners.

Towards the end of one of his races, he pulled away from the nearest car to him like he suddenly found another 500HP and it caused quite the stir.

 

[flacoman]

www.theoldone.com has the skinny on Elliott's engine and combustion chamber(s)

 

[Provi]

Rusty Wallace was doing a test unrestricted and ran over 220 IIRC for a radio test.

 

[Charlie1935]

In 2007 at Bonneville salt flats a Nascar spec Dodge charger achieved 244.9 MPH.

 

[Charlie1935]

In 2007 at Bonneville salt flats a Nascar spec Dodge charger achieved 244.9 MPH.
Some claim the car had been modified. I read this at a different thread so I don't really know I guess.

 

[A_Harman]

Originally Posted By: tpitcher
My GTO can do 196-201 MPH.



500 HP in a GTO is not enough to do 200 mph. A Corvette ZR1 with 638 HP, with less weight and frontal area will only do 203. Ford's new Mustang GT500 with 650 HP will only do 189.

 

[A_Harman]

One of my favorite top speed comparisons was when Car and Driver pitted Al Holbert's 962 Porsche against Tim Richmond's NASCAR Monte Carlo in ~1987. I think they ran at Firestone's 7-mile oval at Ft. Stockton, TX. One would expect that the Porsche would run away from the taxicab, but that just wasn't the case. The Porsche topped out at 214 mph, and the Monte Carlo did 242. Car and Driver said the reason that the Porsche wasn't faster was that its high-downforce aerodynamics caused too much drag.