Indy 500 vs Formula 1 vs NASCAR: which car is faster?

The Indianapolis 500 is a prestigious car race that will attract hundreds of thousands of viewers who wish to see it in person this weekend. Along with NASCAR, it’s one of the most popular motorsports contests in the United States.

Formula 1, on the other hand, has recently been attracting more American fans due in large part to the TV series Formula 1: Drive to Survive, which gives a behind-the-scenes look at the world’s most popular car competition.

Among these three contests, which has the fastest cars?

NASCAR weight slows it down

NASCAR races have the slowest cars among these three series because of the weight of the vehicles, which usually reach around 3,000 lbs. These stock cars featuring V-8 engines can reach top speeds of up to 200 mph, and can go from 0 to 60 mph in 3.4. seconds.

How fast is an IndyCar?

The Indy 500 is part of the IndyCar series, and the open-wheeled cars that compete in these races are much lighter than their NASCAR counterparts. They can weigh less than 1,400 lbs., which is less than half of NASCAR’s stock cars.

The fastest recorded speed in an IndyCar competition stands at 236 mph. It lags a little bit in acceleration, needing up to three seconds to reach speeds of 90 kph (56.25 mph) on a straight track.

Formula 1′s acceleration superiority

Formula 1 cars are slightly heavier than IndyCar ones, although they look quite similar. They weigh roughly 1,600 lbs., which accounts for why their top speed is not quite at the level of of IndyCar’s, the record being 231.4 mph set by Valtteri Bottas in 2016.

However, their ability to accelerate is superior to IndyCar’s, needing only 2.1 seconds to reach 90 kph, and are designed to go fast through corners and turns. As such a race between F1 and IndyCar could go either way, depending on the kind of track they would compete on.