NASCAR hits 214 mph

NASCAR had the perfect combination for the start of Tuesday’s tire test in Indianapolis. Cool track, new tires, long straightaways and cars with grip. It doesn’t get any better than that , and they aren’t likely go much faster than this, either. After Mark Martin wrote on Twitter that he had hit 212 mph in the backstretch during the morning session, a disbelieving Jeff Gordon (pictured) walked over to his team to see what it had recorded. “They said 214 and I said, ‘My gosh, it really is fast,’ ” Gordon said. To put the speeds in perspective, Denny Hamlin won last year’s Brickyard 400 pole with a fast lap of 182.293 mph. The incredibly quick speeds didn’t last long when the temperatures warmed up and tires started wearing faster.

Associated Press