Does Formula 1 or NASCAR Hold a Higher Top Speed Record?

Formula 1 vs. NASCAR is a timeless question. NASCAR restricts the top speed of its cars. Straight-line speed is not the main focus of Formula 1 cars. Who would be fastest in a race between a NASCAR Cup Car and a Formula 1 racer?

What became NASCAR’s fastest track was explained.

Through the 1980s, NASCAR stock cars kept getting faster. Bobby Allison’s car almost flew into the stands during a high-profile crash in 1987. The restrictor plates were put on the Cup Cars V8 engines to limit them to about 410hp and keep the top speed below 200 mph.

The restrictor plates helped set the NASCAR record for the fastest race speed. The Cup Cars continued to improve, but their top speed remained the same over the next 20 years.

Wallace ran his Miller lite Dodge through practice laps. Wallace wondered what it would be like to run without the plates. He had his pit crew take his car out on the track.

Wallace said that he will remember those laps for the rest of his life. He said that they hit 229 at the end of the race.

There is a question about what it means when a Formula 1 car is porpoising.

Honda’s Formula 1 team wondered how fast a Formula 1 car could drive with no restrictions, like in 2006).

Honda Racing modified a retired Formula 1 car for a top speed run. Formula 1 cars don’t have unrestricted engines. Honda replaced its old V10 with a new unrestricted V10.

Honda needs to do something about the car’s wing in order to create down force for tight corners. The wing was removed completely and replaced with a stability fin.

Alan van der Merwe was sent to the Salt Flats by Honda to do a test. What’s the goal? The magic speed is 400 km/H.

The team can’t use a tailwind to its advantage because of its top speed. Van der Merwe averaged over a full mile and ran in both directions.

The Honda team was able to modify the car’s suspension and shift points with each run. The experience was described by van der Merwe.

“There’s no feedback…you’re surrounded by this vast whiteness. The only way you know you’re going fast is because your helmet is getting pulled off your head and the car is screaming in seventh gear.”

Alan van der Merwe

They failed to maintain their top speed on the return run. The team set a record.

Honda and Alan van der Merwe had an official top-speed record of 397 km/h. The record was run in both directions. The F1 car had a top speed of 2568.

That speed is much faster than the unofficial top speed of the race. Wallace’s suspension could have been further adjusted if he had more runs. He thinks he could have reached 235 mph on the Superspeedway.

The F1 record attempt ran on a wide open salt flat. Valtteri Bottas holds the record for the highest speed an F1 car can ever achieve. He drove 234.9 mph on his way to qualify for the grand prix. According to Wallace, a NASCAR Cup Car could beat that.

The top speeds are shown here.

If you want to learn more about the Formula 1 top speed, you can watch the video below.

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