NASCAR turns laps of more than 200 MPH at Talladega

Teams were running over 200 mph in drafting packs Tuesday afternoon during a test at Talladega.

Getty Images

NASCAR took the wings off and turned 25 Sprint Cup cars loose at Talladega Superspeedway Tuesday. The test was to allow teams to try out the new spoiler configuration expected to debut in a few weeks but also a bigger restrictor plate such as they did in the season opening Daytona 500. The idea was to give more horsepower allowing drivers more control.

The larger plates gave the teams more horsepower and thus more speed. How much? Reports from the first laps run on the 2.77 mile track, NASCAR’s largest, had speeds on the straights-unofficially- at 212 mph. It wasn’t long before NASCAR stepped in, put smaller sized plates on and slowed the field down.

The Chevy of Jimmie Johnson recorded the fastest lap of the morning session, just over 196 mph in single car runs.

In the afternoon after teams got some time to tweak the machines, three drivers recorded speeds, in a drafting pack, of over 200 miles per hour.  Denny Hamlin in a Toyota led the way with a speed of 202.170. He was followed by his teammate Joey Logano at 201.863 with Brian Vickers close behind with a speed of 200.163.

Ten drivers behind the top three all had speeds of 199 mph.

In contrast, last April’s pole speed at Talladega was 188.171.  Two weeks ago, the pole speed at Atlanta, the fastest track on the circuit, was 192.761.

Several drivers reported speeds of 215 mph in the afternoon.

Going over 200 mph in a stock car at Talladega isn’t anything new. Buddy Baker was the first in March of 1974 when he turned a lap of 200.447. Bill Elliott then set the fastest lap in 1987 with a speed of 212.089. Then in 2004 Rusty Wallace toured the track at 216.309.

It’s highly unlikely that NASCAR will allow the Sprint Cup cars to keep the speeds they were running in testing Tuesday. It’s believed that the tire Goodyear has developed for the April event at Talladega wouldn’t be able to sustain those high speeds long enough for an actual race.

NASCAR's John Darby said the final package for the Talladega race won't be decided for several weeks.

While it’s highly unlikely speeds will be over 200 miles per hour, it’s pretty certain that the new spoiler will be in place for the April 25 Aaron's 499 at Talladega. 
drivers more control.

Talladega Superspeedway Test Results
March 16th, 2010 - Afternoon Session

Car # Make Best Tm Best Spd

1. 11 Denny Hamlin Tyt 47.366   202.170

2. 20 Joey Logano Tyt 47.438   201.863

3. 83 Brian Vickers Tyt 47.841   200.163

4. 00 David Reutimann Tyt 47.909   199.879

5. 18 David Gilliland Tyt 47.914   199.858

6. 48 Jimmie Johnson Chv 47.928   199.800

7. 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr Chv 47.930   199.791

8. 56 Martin Truex Jr Tyt 47.939   199.754

9. 78 Regan Smith Chv 47.962   199.658

10. 98 Paul Menard Frd 47.969   199.629

11. 39 Ryan Newman Chv 48.057   199.263

12. 14 Tony Stewart Chv 48.107   199.056

13. 77 Sam Hornish Jr Dge 48.116   199.019

14. 24 Jeff Gordon Chv 48.264   198.409

15. 29 Kevin Harvick Chv 48.276   198.359

16. 6 David Ragan Frd 48.279   198.347

17. 5 Mark Martin Chv 48.319   198.183

18. 2 Kurt Busch Dge 48.374   197.958

19. 17 Matt Kenseth Frd 48.384   197.917

20. 82 Scott Speed Tyt 48.461   197.602

21. 31 Jeff Burton Chv 48.825   196.129

22. 12 Brad Keselowski Dge 49.121   194.947

23. 09 Aric Almirola Chv 50.969   187.879

24. 37 Kevin Conway # Frd 50.992   187.794

25. 66 Dave Blaney Tyt 51.726   185.129