Thread Rating:
  • 0 Vote(s) - 0 Average
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
Top 10 Fastest Modern NASCAR Race Tracks
#1
1. Texas Motor Speedway - 196.235 MPH

Texas Motor Speedway was repaved during the 2006 season providing an entirely different racing surface for the drivers when they returned during The Chase for the Cup. Brian Vickers took advantage of the smooth surface and posted a 196.235 MPH lap to take the pole. This vaulted Texas into first place as the fastest race track on the modern Sprint Cup schedule.

2. Atlanta Motor Speedway - 194.690 MPH

Until 2006 Atlanta Motor Speedway had held the title of NASCAR's fastest speedway since it was reconfigured during the 1997 season. However it must now settle for second on the list since the quickest qualifying lap posted here since 2000 is Ryan Newman's 194.690 MPH lap. Newman has held this track record since 2005.
More: Atlanta Motor Speedway
3. Michigan Speedway - 194.232 MPH
Ryan Newman set the track record at Michigan Speedway in 2005 with this 194.232 MPH lap. The smooth and wide racing surface at Michigan Speedway is not only fast, but provides two and three grooves for some competitive races.
More: Michigan Speedway
4. Charlotte Motor Speedway -193.216 MPH
In 2005 Elliott Sadler set the Charlotte Motor Speedway track record. Sadler clocked in with a 193.216 MPH lap to vault Charlotte Motor Speedway up to the fourth spot on this list. Speeds jumped nearly five MPH from the previous year as a result of the track being smoothed and repaved.
More: Charlotte Motor Speedway
5. Talladega Superspeedway - 191.712 MPH
When people think of fast NASCAR race tracks Talladega Superspeedway usually comes to mind first. Talladega holds the all-time NASCAR track record as Bill Elliott sat on the pole with an incredible 212.809 MPH lap in 1987. However, since NASCAR mandated restrictor plate use at Talladega and Daytona in 1988 speeds have been reduced.

Since 2000 the fastest qualifying lap at Talladega was David Gilliland's 191.712 MPH lap from 2006.
More: Talladega Superspeedway
6. Daytona International Speedway - 191.091 MPH
Daytona International Speedway is another race track where teams are required to use restrictor plates. The official track record is again held by Bill Elliott who posted a 210.364 MPH lap to sit on the pole for the 1987 Daytona 500.

Since 2000 the fastest qualifying lap was Dale Jarrett's 191.091 MPH lap which was good enough to put him on the pole for the 2000 Daytona 500.
More: Daytona International Speedway
7. Las Vegas Motor Speedway - 188.884 MPH

Las Vegas Motor Speedway saw it's track record shattered by almost ten miles per hour in 2007. Kasey Kahne put his Dodge on the pole with a 184.855 MPH lap which laid waste to Kahne's own previous track record of 174.904 MPH.

Kyle Busch then edged that record up to 185.995 in 2009. This closed the gap on 9th place Indianapolis but didn't change Vegas' position on this list.

In 2011 Matt Kenseth added nearly three miles per hour to the track record with his 188.884 MPH qualifying lap. This caused Vegas to jump up to seventh on this list.

8. California Speedway - 188.245 MPH
California Speedway is similar to Michigan Speedway but doesn't have quite as much banking in the turns. 14 degrees versus Michigan's 18 degrees. This difference in banking accounts for the six mile per hour difference in track records.

Kyle Busch is the track record holder here.

9. Chicagoland Speedway - 188.147 MPH
Jimmie Johnson holds the track record in Chicagoland with a lap of 188.147 MPH. Again comparing this race track to Michigan Speedway. Chicagoland and Michigan have the same amount of banking and both tracks are 'D' shaped ovals. However, Michigan is a two mile race track while Chicagoland is just 1.5 miles around. This difference accounts for the roughly six mile per hour difference in speeds.

10. Indianapolis Motor Speedway - 186.293 MPH
Indianapolis Motor Speedway's giant 2.5 mile rectangle has just nine degrees of banking in the turns.
#2
Does that mean that Brian Vickers has the fastest lap in NASCAR history?
#3
As long as the fastest lap was done on one of the top 10 fastest tracks
#4
Kinda puts into perspective how dominate Bill Elliott was in 1986-88.

Forum Jump:

Users browsing this thread: 1 Guest(s)