Couldnt an Enzo beat a NASCAR?

The way Nascar has the cars set up to run at Daytona, an Enzo could easily win. They restricter plates at those races that reduces power to around 250hp... An unrestricted Nextel Cup Car can run around 240mph around some of the faster tracks, and that is why they are restricted. In the 80s, the unrestricted cars were hitting 220mph on some of these tracks, and too many people were getting hurt and killed in crashes. So around a road course, I'm sure an Enzo can win, but Nascars are fun to watch, seeing a 3500lb car being flung around a race track like that. Around an oval, a Nascar would win.

 

I heard that the restrictor plates only limit power to around 450....

 

Enzos regularly initiate right turns, so they are superior to Nascars on that premise alone.

 

HAHAHAH good point.

 

Actually NASCAR cars put out somewhere in the neighborhood of 750-800hp on what I think is about a 355c.i. (5.8L) normally aspirated carbureted engine running on restrictor plates. They can/will change gearing to fit the track for the day which will greatly help acceleration or top speed as it works to their advantage. On any given day could an Enzo beat its top speed, maybe, but would an Enzo beat it on its own track - not likely. Could the Enzo stand 500 miles at above 200mph?? I dont know, and I wouldnt want to try to find out in my own car.

Someone had a post a few days ago about the power/cubic inch relationship of an Enzo compared to the power/cubic inch of a Viper. The contention was that if the Enzo engineers had the same 8.3 liters that the Viper did that it would make over 900hp.

I would contend that the NASCAR guys have a bit of an advantage over either of them even WITH the restrictor plates and without fuel injection.

Bottom line: Dont underestimate NASCAR. Those "good Ole Southern Boys" know a few things about engines too.

Patrick

 

I wouldn't be so sure. I was just rading an article last night about how the new Z06 is the only pace car to be faster than a nascar. The Z06 had 505HP while the nascar had 525HP(rescrictor plates) but the vette only wieghed 3,100 lbs while the nascar was upwards of 3,500 lbs. So i highly doubt that a nascar WITH restrictor plates would be faster than an enzo.

 

Fellas, until we get Benuzzi (or my hero, Manuma <grin>) in an Enzo on a NA road course where we have solid data from Cup car testing and concrete times, I am afraid my vote will go with the Cup car...

Before y'all blow a gasket, you have to realize that hp is only one, small aspect of getting a car around the track. Because the Cup car has limited-travel, optimized and slick-tired suspension, because (believe it or not) they are real[i/] race cars, and because I have seen, timed and know what both are capable of, say around the 2.25-mile "North" course at Virginia International Raceway, I would have to estimate that the Cup car, driven by a pro (Boris comes to mind) would beat an Enzo on street tires (with a pro) at this track by a couple seconds per lap.

Just for grins, an ALMS prototype (Wallace, Weaver) runs 1:22-1:23, a Superbike (Duhamel) runs 1:24-1:25, Cup (Gordon, Rudd, Said) cars run 1:26-1:27 and the fastest street-legal cars I know run about ten seconds off that...

I don't know if you caught an Autoweek article a couple years ago where an Autoweek writer drove Rick Mancuso's Lola sports racing car (with 150 hp) and compared it with an Enzo on the same day, but he went ten seconds faster around Grattan (or Gingerman, I'm not sure) in the twenty-year old Lola than he did the Enzo. It's like comparing apples with oranges. We're not talking Bonneville here!

Now, an FXX is a different matter <grin>

-Peter (back in my hole...)

 

According to Hendrickmotorsports.com (http://www.hendrickmotorsports.com/tech_engine_vr360.asp?bhcp=1)

The 2006 Chevrolet Monte Carlo race car produces 770hp@9000rpm and 530lb/ft@7200rpm. This is from a 358ci engine running a 4v Holley. FYI it also runs only a 4 speed tranny. This is with the restrictor plates. Without the restrictors the engines are well over 800hp.

BUSCH series cars are in the 500hp range, but the Winston Cup cars are in the 7-800hp area.

On the quarter mile straightaways these cars do exceed 210mph, and yes they do slow down in the turns, say to about 190 or so which leaves them averaging say 195 on an oval track.

I still think that they would run quite a bit better than an Enzo.

Just my .02

Patrick

 

^LOL! 1/4 trap at 210??? That is really far off, seriously.

The cars do 0-60 in about 4 seconds. Also, they do not exceed 200mph at Daytona because of the restrictor plates. That was NASCARS's goal with them, keep them below 200 mph (not avg speed, actually attained top speed) and that happens when the plates lower it to 450hp. An Enzo will beat a restricted Nextel Cup car at Daytona. I'm not sure about unrestricted because I don't know how stable the Cup cars are at higher speeds since they have too much momemtum and turning at those speeds becomes a problem.

 

Good luck getting an Enzo to withstand Nascars usual bumpin’ and grindin’ for position, and I don’t think the ‘look but don’t touch’ Ferrari mystic would faze those good ol’ boys one bit!
One little nudge, and it would be carbon fiber bits all over the track!

 

I wasnt saying they did 0-60 in a quarter, but rather coming out of the turns at 190. The hp figures I pulled are at the Hendricks Motorsports website and are for the Winston Cup Cars. Busch and Nextel Cars are a different matter though.

Patrick

 

Rusty Wallace ran an unrestricted car at Talladega not long ago. He hit almost 230 mph.

http://www.caranddriver.com/carnews/8424/rusty-runs-unrestricted.html

 

Driving around in a circle fun to watch??? Ugh Ugh.

 

Hey Pat...

Where does it say "770hp WITH restrictor plates" on the site you mention?

I ask because I have been part of building NASCAR engines (that did make 700+ HP), but it was of course WITHOUT a plate. The plate does indeed reduce power into the 500hp range as reported above.

It is "cute" that you believe that a NASCAR restrictor plate only reduces horsepower by only 30 or so.

So, if you could, I just wanted you to correct me if I am wrong, and show me where it claims otherwise.

 

I know a stock F40 couldnt beat a NASCAR, not w those awful F40 brakes + F40s are also known for having fragile transmissions like many other F

 

Enzo may not beat NASCAR but I think it can keep up.

 

The current Bugatti Veyron will accelerate to 100 MPH faster than Michael Schumacher's 2006 Ferrari F1 car. The Veyron GT will be even faster.

And this car will be in the hands of 65+ year old wealthy guys.

 

Nascar engines put out good horsepower over a very narrow rpm range. Why do you think they run on high banked oval tracks?...so that they won't drop out of that narrow rpm range in the turns and fall flat on their face. Trying to drive a Nascar car on the street would be a nightmare of fouled plugs, major stumbling and flat spots, overheating, etc. (not to mention they would tip over everytime they tried to turn right).

 

Yes but I heard at top speed the Veyron will empty its tank in 12 minutes = 40 miles, thats sort of lame

I guess NASCARs get better mpg

 

Where on EARTH are you going to drive a Veyron flat-out for 12 minutes?! That'd be scary!

 

National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing --> NASCAR

Do mean, "could an Enzo beat a Nextel Cup Car"? Probably the most ridiculous comparison in history, but for the sake of humoring you, what are the odds of the Enzo's engine lasting for the duration of the entire Daytona 500 (~4+ hours) - the majority of which would be run with the pedal all the way to the floor and the RPM near redline. I'm not sure the Enzo's valvetrain could hold on that long.

 

I was putting together information from various sources, so I could easily be wrong. I am no expert on building engines, so I will gracefully yield to your expertise. I did, however, find one that stated that NASCAR engines unrestricted were making well over 800hp and the restricted cars were in the 700hp range. I understood this to mean that it knocked about 100hp from the engine. I cannot find that site again though.

However, I did also find another site that reconfirmed your statement of the restrictors knocking a couple hundred hp off the engine.

Darrell Waltrip in this commentary (http://msn.foxsports.com/nascar/story/5032774) speaks of the unrestricted engines making more than 850hp. I probably read that and made some assumptions given other information from various websites. I cant retrace them all though.

Wasnt trying to be "cute" though.

Thanks for the insight though. I am learning to build engines so this probably goes to show that a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing right??

Patrick

 

Don't get me wrong or anything, but you really think someone in the NASCAR stands owns an Enzo, F50 or F40 ?

I just don't see it. Someone prove me wrong.

 

I'm not going to bother to try to prove it but I know for a fact that there are.

Are we trying to suggest that all Cup fans are some sort of lower life?
Or just don't have the money for it?