Are we really getting faster?
Just got back from the XR race at Belleville, KS. Its the fastest 1/2 mile in the country for those that haven't been there. You pretty much never lift if your car is right. The field usually gets spread out, but the speeds will give you the chills. Its definitely faster than Bristol.
Watching Davenport run a 16.3 second lap in qualifying and not obliterate the record Billy Moyer set in 2007 of 16.1 caught me by surprise. Davenport said he had a "big boy" in the car. I don't believe it was the same car/motor he ran at Eldora.
In the past 15 years or so we have developed some amazing shocks, have better motors that produce more drivable power, and are using aero to our advantage.
I don't know what the track was like in 2007 when Moyer set the record, but I have been to Belleville many times over the years, but I'm guessing it wasn't that much different than in the past. Perhaps it was and this may have played into why Davenport didn't set a new record. Maybe Billet remembers?
Also the additional downforce cars produce these days comes with additional drag which would make the cars slower.
With all of these improvements and dollars spent over the past few years why didn't we see a big difference in lap times?