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IndyCar: Will the 27-year old CART record finally fall at Indy?

Posted by AR1 staff

–by Mark Cipolloni–

Arie Luyendyk still holds the record for the fastest qualifying speed ever recorded in Indy 500 history.

His 4-lap average of 236.986 mph set in a CART Champ Car in 1996 has yet to be broken. Luyendyk also set the fastest single-lap speed of 237.498 mph.

Luyendyk went faster on each of his 4 laps in a 27-year-old-Reynard with Cosworth engine car that would put today’s IndyCars to shame.

  • Lap 1: 38.097 seconds, 236.239 mph (new 1-lap track record)
  • Lap 2: 37.983 seconds, 236.948 mph (new 1-lap track record)
  • Lap 3: 37.933 seconds, 237.260 mph (new 1-lap track record)
  • Lap 4: 37.895 seconds, 237.498 mph (all-time 1-lap track record)
  • Total- 2:31.908, 236.986 mph (all-time 4-lap track record)

They keep trying to get today’s IndyCar to beat that 27-year-old record, but it still stands.

Today, and the remainder of the weekend, the Honda and Chevy engines get turned up with 100 additional HP in an attempt to knock off Luyendyk’s record and every year they fail.

This might be the year. Last Year Scott Dixon’s four-lap average of 234.046 mph came close, so with any luck, the record will fall this weekend.

Whereas Luyendyk only had one shot at his 4-lap run, now drivers can go out as many times as they want to try and break the record.

And they still can’t.

Could someone please dust off a 27-year-old CART Champ Car and show them how it’s done?