{"id":6005,"date":"2022-10-24T04:59:18","date_gmt":"2022-10-24T04:59:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/motorracingsports.com\/?p=6005"},"modified":"2022-11-01T16:35:38","modified_gmt":"2022-11-01T16:35:38","slug":"how-fast-are-nascar-tracks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/motorracingsports.com\/how-fast-are-nascar-tracks\/","title":{"rendered":"How Fast are NASCAR Tracks?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Editorial credit: Grindstone Media Group \/ Shutterstock.com<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At first glance, it may seem as though NASCAR drivers at different events are going essentially the same speeds<\/strong>. If you mean that they\u2019re driving far faster than is typically safe on any road or track, then you\u2019re right, but their exact and average speeds actually differ quite greatly depending on the track they are racing on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

NASCAR tracks can achieve from 92 to over 200 mph. Top speeds are impacted by a combination of factors, like configuration, length, maintenance, and surface. Short tracks average around 120mph, medium ovals up to 180 mph, road courses 100 mph and superspeedways up to 200 mph<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


We\u2019ll be exploring which are the fastest NASCAR tracks<\/strong>, but also what makes them the fastest, and why it is that different tracks tend to generate different speeds from NASCAR drivers. The answers might surprise you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Editorial credit: Grindstone Media Group \/ Shutterstock.com\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>What is the Fastest NASCAR Track?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While most people tend to associate the Talladega Superspeedway with the greatest speeds in NASCAR, it is actually the Michigan International Speedway<\/strong> that is now considered the fastest thanks to the antics of Australian driver Marcos Ambrose. In June of 2012, he shattered the previous track speed record by a whole 9-mph when he clocked an average lap speed of 203.241-mph<\/strong>. That was then broken again by Jeff Gordon in 2014 (more on that below).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In fact, before that day in Michigan, the previous fastest lap speed was at the Texas Motor Speedway<\/a> <\/strong>where, in 2006, Brian Vickers set a record that wouldn\u2019t be broken until Ambrose and friends arrived in Michigan on that June day in 2012. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s really interesting is that Ambrose may have been the top record breaker that day, but he wasn\u2019t the only one, with 38 of the remaining drivers all breaking the same Texas record on that same fateful day in Michigan.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

To be fair, this is only the case when you factor in the new reality of restrictor plates. The reason people associate tracks like Talladega with wild and crazy speeds is because before restrictor plates came along, it was also home to the all-time speed record set by Bill Elliott in 1987, clocking in at 212.809-mph<\/strong>. It was also, however, the site of many serious accidents, all contributing to the organization\u2019s feeling that restrictor plates were needed which we have discussed in more detail in our how fast can a NASCAR go article on the site and the unrestricted speeds of NASCAR article. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We also have more information on NASCAR Speeds, both unrestricted and absolute top speeds in the articles listed below. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n