[Shotimes] Daytona 500 & NASCAR HP

[Mark Nunnally]

>Yeah, I was under the impression that NACAR engines were 650+. I don't see
>where 450 HP can get those barn doors around the track at 200+, when a
>much-more aerodynamic Corvette with an underrated 505 HP can't get to 200
>mph.

Burton's pole speed was 189.151.  That's WOT, all the way around.  Things like 0 weight oil in the motor and tranny, and water in the diff and wheel bearings ;)  They even push the pistons in the calipers all the way in and clip the pads back so nothing is touchign the rotors.  Anything to go through the air better.  Corner and straight away speeds don't vary more than 1-2 mph there, so that's basically all those things will run with a plate.  They don't top 200+ mph, even in a draft of cars.  About 195 is about all you see with them in a big wad.  And while 189 to 200 mph doesn't seem like much, it takes a bunch more hp to go that extra 11-12 mph.

As big a hole as the punch through the air, they are pretty slippery.  These teams spend a lot of time in the wind tunnel.  Finding a cd on one will be about as hard as finding an exact hp number though ;)

The tracks where they barely top 200 mph (Atlanta, Pocono, etc) are unrestrected, and they aren't limited by the hp, just by the track itself.  

One of the crew chiefs was saying they would run approx 225-230 mph at daytona or talledega without the plates.  Bill Elliot ran 217 mph almost 20 years ago, they were probably 150 hp+ down then what they are now

Watch the telemetry on a plate race, when they go from caution to green it takes forever to run from 70 mph to 170.  Just ~450 hp...

mark