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Track Facts: NASCAR 101
So what's the difference between the Fords regular folks drive and the one Bill Elliott takes for Sunday spins? Aside from conspicuous corporate sponsorships?
Well, Bill's red number 94 has 700 horsepower under the hood ... a Ford Probe might have 150 to 320 (if it's really souped up). Of course, the Thurst jet car that recently broke the sound barrier runs on TWO 110,000 horsepower engines. So, power is a relative thing.
Bill Elliott, by the way, holds the record for fastest spin around the track in a stock car -- 212.809 mph while qualifying for the 1987 Winston 500. Don't try this at home.
NASCAR mandates restrictor plates between the carburetor and the intake manifold for cars on the largest tracks (Daytona and Talladega) -- to keep speeds from reaching dangerous levels.
A NASCAR Winston Cup car runs about $100,000 -- not including the wear and tear from each race. No wonder teams seek out those corporations -- some sponsors shell out at much as $5 million per year.
The drivers race in three divisions: the Craftsman Truck series, Busch Grand National series, and the Winston Cup -- the jewel in the crown.
Fans pay an average of $20 to $100 for tickets to the races -- and additional $75 per vehicle to camp on the infield.
Fans can also pick up pit passes that put them into the middle of the action, watching pit crews at work in the days before the race.
Big races -- like those at Talladega in Alabama, at Charlotte, Daytona, and Darlington -- sell out months in advance.
It's a growing business -- and next year, NASCAR goes Vegas. The glitz capital of North America hosts its first ever Winston Cup race next March at the new Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
And finally, a bit of Daytona trivia -- the 23-mile long Florida beach has a history of speed dating back to the early 20th century, when British drivers began setting land speed records. Henry Segrave was the first to top the 200 mph mark (in 1927). The speed trials were moved to the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah where, in 1935, the legendary Sir Malcolm Campbell was the first to break 300 mph.
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