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Seeing NASCAR race cars zip around a superspeedway is fascinating, especially during qualifying, because when the driver crosses the line and his speed is posted, a single thought goes through your mind: "That's it?" It's not that driving a Mustang or Camaro (or a new Toyota Camry lookalike) at 180+ miles per hour isn't impressive; it's just that one would think the speeds on the two-plus-mile tracks would be higher, especially since F1 and Indycar routinely post speeds in excess of 200 mph on similar straightaways, making them some of the fastest race cars around.
But there's a reason NASCAR racing doesn't see the same high speeds as other racing series. The answer to "How fast do NASCAR cars go?" has evolved over the decades the sport has been running, with the current top speeds (approximately 195 mph on Next Gen NASCAR vehicles when drafting and 184 mph in free air) being lower than they once were.
What’s The Fastest NASCAR Top Speed Ever Achieved?
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) is not only the largest sanctioner and operator of racing in the country, but it's also a governing body that has had to learn the hard way what happens when spectacle takes precedence over safety. Top-level stock cars are capable of impressive speeds, but the fastest ever recorded at an official event was 212.8 miles per hour back in 1987. This was set by Bill Elliott in his #9 Coord Ford Thunderbird during the qualifying for the Winston 500 at the Talladega Superspeedway.
Today, the speeds are slower due to safety, but just because there are limits doesn't mean drivers won't try to push them.
Origins Of NASCAR Race Cars
First, let's take a look at the sport's history to see how we got where we are today. For those not in the know, NASCAR, and stock car racing in general, came about during prohibition in the 1920s when moonshine runners would race each other in slightly modified vehicles to prove who had the fastest car. This was also when air suspension became prominent. Over time, prominent people emerged from this activity, with the most notable being Bill France Sr.
After competing in loosely sanctioned events throughout the '30s, he saw the potential in starting an official "stock car" series for drivers to prove their skill. This led to him and others creating NASCAR in 1947, and the hosting of the first NASCAR-sanctioned race in early 1948. The first generation of stock cars were true "stock cars." No mods were allowed, including safety ones, and it's the only generation of stock cars to feature doors that really opened.
Throughout the late '40s and '50s, the sport grew immensely in popularity, with the creation of many speedways and superspeedways across the country. The increased speeds and rule changes necessitated a new generation of cars called Gen 2's in '67. This was the inception of stock car bodies being fitted to modified chassis and the introduction of new safety equipment like full roll cages.
Thanks to this, the doors were now welded shut, meaning stock car drivers were immediately made 10x cooler, having to enter through the windows. This was also the generation that saw Buddy Baker break 200 mph for the first time in a Dodge Daytona.
The Gen 3 NASCAR car came about in 1981, and it not only reintroduced bodies that looked more like the showroom versions but introduced a 110-inch length that is still used today. These were also the cars that brought serious speed to the sport thanks to a lack of power restrictions, including Bill Elliott's 212.8 miles per hour qualifying record during the Winston 500 at Talladega.
Record Challengers
Records were meant to be broken, but while Elliott's record still stands, there have been many challengers over the years since it was set. A NASCAR racer even surpassed that speed on track once, although it was ineligible for the record claim.
The closest officially recognized time to Elliott's was achieved by four-time Cup Series Champion Jeff Gordon in 2014 at Michigan International Speedway. Driving his Chevy SS "Rainbow Warrior" racecar, he took pole by clocking in at 206.558 mph and circling the track in just 34.857 seconds. This makes him the second-fastest Cup Series pole driver of all time behind Elliott, who holds the top six pole records.
But this speed pales in comparison to Rusty Wallace's test of radio equipment at Talladega in 2004. During the high-speed run, Wallace's team took the restrictor plate off of his Miller Lite Dodge, and he achieved a top lap speed of 216.306 mph, even hitting 228 mph at the end of one of the straights. This is ludicrous speed and absolutely dwarfs Elliott's record, but unfortunately, it doesn't earn a place in the record books since it wasn't during an official NASCAR race or event.
When NASCAR Was Forced To Slow Down: The Introduction Of Restrictor Plates
But let's get back to history, and this is where things unfortunately take a turn for the worse.
The extra speed of the Gen 3 cars came at a cost, and in the same race in which Elliott broke the record, Bobby Allison's car went airborne and almost flew into the stands. Injuries occurred (luckily, no deaths), but this didn't stop the insurance companies from threatening to pull the plug unless something serious changed.
Soon after, the series introduced restrictor plates for the first time, thereby lowering power output and changing the sport forever. This is when cars started to bunch up more during NASCAR races, and passing became much more difficult, leading to the sport we know today.
The next few generations added a ton more safety, especially the Car of Tomorrow, as a direct result of high-profile deaths in 2000 and 2001, which included that of Dale Earnhardt Sr. From the '90s onwards, power increased despite the presence of restrictor plates, especially after the Cup series finally phased out carburated engines in 2012 in favor of electronic fuel injection. Engines around this time could produce up to 1,000 horsepower but were capped for safety and instead made closer to 850 hp in their top tune.
But then things changed. When drivers praised the power outputs and advocated for even more, NASCAR came in with a different tune, choosing to cut power instead. At the start of the Gen 6 era (2013-2021), cars were pushing out 850 horsepower, but by 2015, that had been cut to 725 for non-restricted events.
Today's Next Gen cars share the same 5.8-liter V8 engine as the previous Gen 6 cars, but power has now been further capped to just 510 hp at tracks that require restrictor plates and 670 hp at all other events.
Why Are Current NASCAR Cars Less Powerful?
The reasoning given for this decrease in power is safety, competition, and potential cost capping. Lowering the power output of cars does decrease their speed around the track, which hopefully leads to accidents at lower speeds, too (accidents will always happen, but reducing the speed at which they occur minimizes the chance of severe injury or fatalities). Making sure drivers and spectators are safe is the sport's number one priority because even with all of the safety advances made over the last few decades, serious accidents still happen.
At the same time, NASCAR has also argued lower speeds lead to increased on-track action. To amplify this, it's also instituted more single-source parts and a stricter penalty system to ensure an even more level playing field.
The results with the Next Gen cars are that the 2022 season saw 19 winners, tying 2001 for the most in a single season since 1979. 2023 wasn't quite as diverse, but it still saw 15 winners. Compare that to the three winners in the 2023 Formula 1 season, and NASCAR is worlds more exciting in terms of competitiveness.
NASCAR then says the benefit to teams is that the lower output of the engines allows them to be used for more than one race, thereby saving the teams money. Less stress on the motor means parts last longer, and it also makes an entrance into the sport by a new manufacturer more enticing.
Will The NASCAR Top Speed Record Ever Be Broken?
So what does this all mean? Well, it likely means Elliott's record will never be broken, at least in the current format of the sport. It's a bit of a shame, but when you look at it in the context of the entire sport, it starts to make sense. The rules have changed for the greater good of drivers, fans, and NASCAR as a whole.
This is a dangerous sport with many, many variables and barriers to overcome. In the past, it's sat back on its laurels, waiting for something bad to happen in the name of tradition, but this has led to needless deaths and accidents along the way. The sport can no longer afford to be reactive, and if that means a record never gets broken again, then we think that's a small price to pay.
