Who is the fastest driver in NASCAR history?
NASCAR Cup Series cars are among the fastest racing vehicles ever built for racing.
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NASCAR, since its inception, has been one of the most thrilling sports in the world of racing. There are not many other motorsports racing categories that can produce the kind of action that NASCAR can come up with now and then. It is an extremely fast-paced sport and has, over the years, seen quite a few drivers who have mesmerized the fans with their fearless skills during racing weekends.
While there have been many who have managed to cross the limits of what a stock car can do, no one has been able to push the car as much as the 1988 Winston Cup Championship winner, Bill Elliott. He also happens to be the father of stock car racing driver, Chase Elliott, who won the 2020 Cup championship with Hendrick Motorsports.
The American is popularly known as the Million Dollar Bill from Dawsonville. The title is very fitting to describe the kind of racing driver he was during his prime years. In 1987 during a race qualifier for the Winston 500 at Tellagada, Bill Elliott managed to achieve the sensational record of having the top speed among all the NASCAR drivers. To date, that record is standing firm, and only a few have been able to come close to it.
Moreover, at that moment, he was driving his No. 9 Coors Ford Thunderbird around the 2.66-mile track at a speed of around 212 miles per hour. Reaching this level of speed is simply not possible in modern NASCAR racing, and this is down to the use of restrictor plates which were introduced in the same year when Elliott made the record. In Tellagada itself, Bobby Allison had a horrific incident that saw him go flying into the crowd and injuring 5 spectators. Since that incident, the NASCAR administration decided to introduce restrictor plates to reduce an engine’s intake and thus its power capabilities.
Bill Elliott’s electrifying record has come under threat only twice
While Bill Elliott has managed to stay at the top for several years in the fastest NASCAR drivers list, there have been moments where he has come extremely close to losing his record. One such instance took place at Tellagada in 2004 when the 1989 Cup champion, Rusty Wallace, was able to put his car through the wringer and produce a mind-boggling speed of 216.309 miles per hour.
However, to Wallace and everybody else’s disappointment, the record was made during a test run to check some radio equipment, and thus, Bill Elliott’s record was not broken. Had the lap been done during an official session, it would have easily shattered the 212-mile record of Elliott. The next driver and the only other driver who has come close to the record is Jeff Gordon.
In 2014 at Michigan, Gordon secured pole position by clocking in at 206.558 miles during his push lap. While it was enough to get him at the front of the pack for the race, it was not enough to break Bill Elliott’s record. Over the years, many have tried to come near the record, but only two, in the form of Wallace and Gordan, have been able to put the sensational record under some serious threat.
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Rishabh Negi
(3244 Articles Published)