NASCAR vs Bugatti Veyron: Who Wins at Talladega?

[troverman]

I know the Veyron has more horsepower and greater top speed than a current Nascar. But for a full race, who would win? The Bug's tires only last 15minutes and fuel lasts only 12 minutes at full throttle. But this doesn't take into account off-throttle periods during cornering and drafting advantages. Is Talladega even long enough for the Bug to exhibit its higher top speed? Its record was set on the 6-mile Ehra-Lession straightaway. From what I have read unrestricted NASCARS make about 860bhp and have 17.75 gal fuel cells. But Talladega is restricted, and they only make 435bhp with restrictors. They also only weigh 3450lbs. Anyone want to play with this? Personally I think NASCAR racing is rediculous and I would love to think a *stock* Bugatti could literally drive in off the street, whip the race-only NASCARS, then drive home!

[Bdog]

I would say a full race it would be a NASCAR, mainly due to the lighter weight and able to go further on their tires and fuel. Other than a Veyron, I'd say a Ferrari FXX and a McLarenn F1 would both beat a NASCAR in a full race.

[kencary]

Originally Posted by Bdog

I would say a full race it would be a NASCAR, mainly due to the lighter weight and able to go further on their tires and fuel. Other than a Veyron, I'd say a Ferrari FXX and a McLarenn F1 would both beat a NASCAR in a full race.

Not if they get a nice little tap on the rear qtr by a full-bodied NASCAR.

[troverman]

I would bet the stability of the Veyron at speed is immensely better than than any of those other vehicles, NASCARS included. AWD, more weight, adjustable downforce...

[v8ramair]

Hello - I'm new to this forum.

The statistical view of this race says:
Restricted Nascar vs Veyron at Talladega:
Nascar: ~450 (depending on restrictor plate size) rear wheel horsepower, 3400 lbs
Veyron: ~820-850 wheel horsepower (All wheel drive is more parasitic loss, so it could be around a 15+% loss with 1001 crank hp), 4000+ lbs
The Veyron will probably win in a short lap shootout, but it's not setup for the ovals. The Nascar will average 190 mph around the track where the Veyron might have a hard time doing that in the turns. The camber and caster for the Nascar is so extreme, which is why they can easily take the corners. Even though they are high banked, going 200+ mph on those turns with street tires is not an easy task.

Unrestricted Nascar: 860+ RWHP (a dyno test last year at Michigan showed 839 RWHP for Kurt Busch's car - they gain roughly 20-30 hp every year).
The unrestricted Nascar puts the same or more power down as the Veyron, but weighs 600 lbs less. This shows in the 1/4 mile trap speed (Nascar = 147 hitting rev limiter before the finish (Car and Driver), Veyron = 142.5) as the Nascar will accelerate faster. So with an unrestricted Nascar, it won't even be a contest. Now, the Nascar might not be able to hit 250 mph without tweaking, as the COT is the most unaerodynamic junk out there, but there's no way a Veyron will hit 250 at Talladega on the 33 degree banks. The tires will probably blow after a could laps, if trying to hot lap that fast.

[SAM3]

BOB Award , GOOD NIGHT America

[JAKD-UP]

Lol

[troverman]

Of course we're not exactly comparing apples to apples; imagine how much additional horsepower the Veyron would produce should one remove catalysts, mufflers, and emissions restrictions. After all, even Bugatti engineers claim the 1001 bhp is pretty conservative.

[enjoi1968]

NASCAR, the Veyron is too busy swimming to drive.

[DiscoDream2]

OMG NASCAR DUH!

Proper tools for the right job....

[v8ramair]

I completely agree that it's not apples to apples - there are too many variables. If you bolt on race tires on the Veyron, I would bet my money that it would beat a plate car over a 200 mile race. However, unrestricted, I say that the Veyron has no chance - camber/caster is not set, same or less wheel horsepower than a Nascar, more weight than a Nascar. It probably be like comparing a ZR-1 to a C6R. Similar power but the C6R eats a ZR-1 for lunch. Just like the Nascar, it's made to race, not drive on the street.

For reference, it's unknown how fast a "properly setup race team" nascar could go unrestricted over 6 miles. In the late 80s, Road and Track had a top speed race car shootout. Only 2 cars showed: A Hendrick Grand National car and a Le Mans Porsche. The Porsche had too much downforce, limiting to ~220 mph (forgot the extact #). The Nascar, after putting styrofoam over the drivers net, hit 240 mph. That was roughly 20 years ago with about 650 hp. Russ Wicks hit 247 in a Nascar on the Salt Flats 2 years ago. Goes to show there are too much things to consider, but stock vs "stock", I'd still say Veyron wins vs restricted, Veyron loses big vs unrestricted.