{"id":580,"date":"2022-01-14T03:20:34","date_gmt":"2022-01-14T03:20:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/motorracingsports.com\/?p=580"},"modified":"2022-10-10T03:26:42","modified_gmt":"2022-10-10T03:26:42","slug":"how-fast-were-the-old-nascar-cars","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/motorracingsports.com\/how-fast-were-the-old-nascar-cars\/","title":{"rendered":"How Fast Were The First NASCAR Cars?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

With the New Next Gen Nascar Just around the corner we thought it was a good time to look back at some of the older generations of NASCAR and what they could do around the track. With recent, and some not so recent, safety measures NASCAR speeds seem to have reached, or even retreated, from the top speeds of a few years ago.<\/strong> So we take a look at how fast were the old NASCAR Cars in previous decades. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

NASCAR cars have increased in both power and speed as technological and engineering advances have progressed. This, coupled with larger and faster racetracks appearing on the NASCAR circuit, resulted in an increase in average speeds from 130+ in the 1950s, to 175+ in the 1980s.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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How Fast Were 1950s NASCAR Cars?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The term \u2018stock car racing\u2019 comes from the fact that the races were once \u2018strictly stock\u2019, with the teams only allowed to field mass-produced vehicles that were unmodified. An example of a car from this era, known as \u2018Generation 1\u2019, is the 1955 NASCAR Chevrolet that weighed 1410 kilograms and had 195 horsepower. This gave the car a maximum speed of 118 miles per hour, <\/strong>and the car took multiple wins. NASCAR\u2019s most famous race, the Daytona<\/a> 500, was first held in the last year of the 50s and was won with an average speed of 135 miles per hour<\/strong>. This shows how the cars began relatively slow but gradually improved towards the end of the decade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Fast Were 1960s NASCAR Cars?<\/strong> <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Towards the end of the 1960s, modified cars were able to be used. An example of this was the 1967 Ford Fairlane 500 that was piloted by legendary American driver Mario Andretti. It weighed<\/a> less, at 1398 kilograms, had more power with 425 horsepower, and had a top speed of 171 miles per hour. This was reflected in the 1966 Daytona 500, which was won with an average speed of 160 miles per hour.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Fast Were 1970s NASCAR Cars?<\/strong> <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The speeds increased greatly coming into the 1970s, meaning that regulations came into place to limit performance. The 1970 Plymouth Superbird won 18 races in 1970. It had 425 horsepower, weighed 1536 kilograms and it had a top speed of 200 miles per hour<\/strong>. The 1972 Daytona 500 was won with an average speed of 161 miles per hour. The 70s also saw the first NASCAR lap with an average of over 200 miles per hour, when Buddy Barker completed a 200.447 miles per hour lap of the Alabama International Speedway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Fast Were 1980s NASCAR Cars?<\/strong> <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The 1980s saw some more incredibly fast cars, including the 1989 Chevrolet Lumina, which had 600 horsepower, weighed 1587 kilograms and had a top speed of 202 miles per hour. The 1980s also saw the fastest NASCAR<\/a> lap ever, which still stands to this day. Bill Elliot set a 212.809 miles per hour lap around Talladega<\/strong>. The 1980 Daytona 500 was also won with a record average speed of 177.602 miles per hour, and the record<\/a> also still stands to this day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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What Are The NASCAR Track Lap Records?<\/a><\/blockquote>