Skilled stock car racing is amongst the most hazardous sports in the world. Each week, numerous drivers put life and limb at threat, all inside the name of driving quick and entertaining millions of racing fans around the globe. The elite of stock car racing eventually discover their way to NASCAR, where the cars are faster and also the cost of failure is considerably greater than the dirt track back house. The size and layout in the track has a huge effect on how fast a NASCAR driver can push his ride.
Road Course Speeds
Road courses are a number of the trickiest tracks to master in all of motorsports. Due to their a lot of twists and turns, most NASCAR drivers are unable to get their cars up to much more than 75 to 85 miles per hour (MPH).
Quick Track Speeds
Tracks like Bristol Motor Speedway and Darlington Raceway, because of their tiny but reasonably straight dimensions, generally see speeds of about 115 to 120 MPH.
Speedway Speeds
Most NASCAR tracks are 1 1/2-mile oval tracks. They are known as "speedways" and normally see track speeds topping out at or close to 190 MPH. Atlanta Motor Speedway is the lone exception, on account of its longer backstretch than most 1 1/2-mile tracks, and has sometimes seen speeds pushing 200 MPH.
Superspeedway Speeds
Superspeedways would be the largest tracks in NASCAR. A minimum of two miles long, speeds often top off at close to 200 MPH. Specific tracks, like Daytona and Talladega, call for the use of restrictor-plates to keep drivers from topping 210 MPH, which would be harmful to both the driver as well as the spectators.
Fastest NASCAR Driver Speed
In 1987, NASCAR veteran driver and fan favourite Bill Elliot set a NASCAR speed record, topping out at 212.809 MPH for the duration of qualifying at Talladega Superspeedway. It wasn't long right after that, following an accident involving NASCAR legend Bobby Allison, that restrictor plates have been implemented, hence ensuring that this speed benchmark will never ever be challenged.
