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By: Toby Christie – Follow on Twitter @Tobalical

The point of racing has always been to prove that you are faster than the competition, but in NASCAR – at least since the inception of the restrictor plate in 1988 – the 200 mph lap average has really been where the sanctioning body has stepped in to slow the cars down in the name of safety.

Buddy Baker was the first driver in NASCAR to ever record a 200mph lap time in testing. Baker put down a lap of 200.447 mph at Talladega Superspeedway in March of 1970. However a driver didn’t officially break the 200mph barrier in an official qualifying session until Benny Parsons accomplished the feat in 1982. From 1982 to 1987 speeds slowly crept faster and faster until Bill Elliott took the pole for the 1987 Talladega 500 with a speed of over 212 mph.

Continue reading “Column: I Wanna Go Fast: Drivers Topping 201Mph In Thursday Test Session At Michigan”

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NASCAR Sprint Cup Teams Test At Newly Repaved Michigan International Speedway
Teams On The Fast Track For Second Week In A Row

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (June 14, 2012) – For the second consecutive week, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams tested on a newly repaved race track and the reaction coming out of Thursday’s test session at Michigan International Speedway ranged from “holding your breath” to “being quite a rush.”

Speeds exceeded the 200 mile per hour barrier, with four drivers posting fastest lap times in excess of 200 miles per hour in the morning session when conditions were ideal for going fast. Teams arrived a day early to prepare for Sunday’s running of the 44th annual Quicken Loans 400 at MIS (1 p.m., TNT).

Continue reading “Speeds Topping 200mph at Michigan International Speedway”

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Day Three: NASCAR Preseason Thunder At Daytona International Speedway
NASCAR And Teams Continue Data Collection On Final Day Of Testing

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Jan. 14, 2012) — As the final day of Preseason Thunder wrapped, there was certainly no shortage of information NASCAR and the teams gathered during this three-day test as speeds continued to stand close to the 200-mph mark.

Kasey Kahne led the morning session with a speed of 201.545 mph, with Hendrick Motorsports teammates Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Jimmie Johnson also posting times near the top of the charts.

Continue reading “Preseason Thunder Daytona Testing: Day 3 Update”