Watching the fastest cars whizzing, epic wheel-to-wheel battles, and smooth stops, it becomes clear that motorsport is the harmonic mix of speed, track, and strategy. However, this is how you can describe any world racing championship, but how about cars? Formula 1, Rallying, Endurance, and even electric; each discipline includes rapid race cars. We compared the vehicles in the tournaments under the FIA with those in NASCAR and IndyCar to clarify the fastest car in the world racing. Here are our insights. 

Before we start, let’s clarify a few key points. 

First, what car can you name as the fastest in motorsport? Right, it should have the best speed and acceleration scores.

Third, since the 1950s – when the world of motorsport arose, the rules and regulations in different disciplines have changed. Thus, some rally cars became slower, while F1 cars opposite became faster. Therefore, let’s focus on the current time, just not to be confused. 

So, to find the fastest car in the world racing, let’s start with the slowest race cars in closed-wheel to compare those with Nascar. 

FIA WORLD RALLYCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP (World RX)

Peugeot 208 RX1e Car

·   Average speed: 100km/h

·   Top speed: 180km/h

Rallycross cars open our chart. 

The FIA World Rallycross Championship switched to electric in 2022. It impacted the cars racing in the field. In terms of top speed, these became slower.  

The highlighter of the Rallycross car Peugeot 208 RX1e races with an average speed of 100 km/h and may reach 180km/h. However, the vital thing lies under its acceleration; it is almost faster than an F1 car for a second. 

As the Hansen team revealed, Peugeot 208 RX1e accelerates 0-60km/h in less than 1,8 seconds and 0-100km/h in less than 2 seconds.

With everything in the car optimized for starting quick. The acceleration is the strong suit of Rallycross cars. However, their fellows from WRC are still faster at the straights. 

FIA WORLD RALLY-RAID CHAMPIONSHIP (W2RC)

Toyota Hilux Dakar Rally Car

·   Average speed: 120km/h

·   Top speed: 200km/h

Massive and weighted T1-1 cars racing in the FIA World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC) make a top speed of 190km/h and a possible record of 200 km/hare faster than Rallycross cars.

In the category, the Toyota Hilux Dakar Rally is the most impressive. The Dakar rally car accelerates 0-100 km/h in 6,4 seconds. Its average speed reaches 120 km/h and even more, as Matthias Walkner reported.

On the other hand, at a distance of 10.000 km, as Dakar has, the fastest racing speed is not a decisive factor. However, with almost 2 tons of weight, the Toyota Hilux Dakar Rally is more than just fast.  

FIA WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP (WRC)

Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid Car

·   Average speed: 120km/h

·   Top speed: 210km/h

Despite the same ‘rally’ between cross and just rally, the cars participating are different. Acceleration also has the sense in the WRC, but it depends on the route’s feature. Often, WRC tours include many long straights. 

However, the Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid is the most powerful car on the line, and it accelerates longer than in Rallycross, 0 – 60km/h in over 2 seconds and 0 – 100km/h in less than 4 seconds. 

The rally cars in WRC are faster in overall speed. Despite the 201 km/h being the terminal point Toyota manufacturer mentions, with hybrid electric power, the GR Yaris Rally1 reaches about 210km/h at the straights, while 120km/h is its average speed.

As for the WRC history, previous vehicles in the sport, like Mitsubishi Lancer EVO 9 MR (Group N), had equal acceleration scores but reached 258km/h. 

But it is just what the past is. 

The crucial point is their average speed, which often aspires to 125 km/h. So, flying stones, deep puddles, and even tricky ice are not obstacles for the Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 car.

However, even 210 km/h is still far from the fastest car’s speed in the world racing.

NASCAR

Hendrick Motorsports’s Chevrolet

·   Average speed: 200km/h

·   Top speed: 321km/h

Although the average speed of a NASCAR car is deeply varied from track to track, Hendrick Motorsports’s Chevrolet pacing mediocre 200km/h. With accelerating from 0-100km/h in around 3,5 seconds, its top speed reaches 321 km/h, as Sportsbrief finds. 

With quicker than in the WRC, NASCAR cars are fast. As for the records, the top speed ever made in NASCAR was marked by Bill Elliott, who reached 342.483 km/h at Talladega in 1987. 

But it is what about history. However, 321km/h speed makes the NASCAR car the second fastest in the world racing closed-wheel. 

Besides, NASCAR cars are faster than the GT3 cars, racing in Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM). So, even the Porsche 911 GT3 R  accelerates 0-100km/h a bit quicker, for 3,2 seconds, the car races with an average of 180km/h, while 280km/h is its top speed. 

Of course, DTM cars may go faster, but no more than 300km/h. 

However, the Porsche 911 GT3 R races in DTM, which differs from our world championships under FIA. Hence, it is out of our comparison but still on our list because it would be a mistake to not mention such a fast race car. 

THE FIA WORLD ENDURANCE CHAMPIONSHIP (WEC)

Ferrari 499P (LMP1)

·   Average speed: 252km/h

·   Top speed: 345km/h

Get ready for absolute speed monsters! Being very lightweight, WEC Hypercars make 0-100km/h in less than 2 seconds! 

Despite the official average of 207km/h, at the Le Mans, Circuit de la Sarthe, Toyota TS030 HYBRID raced at an average of 251.9km/h, while the Ferrari 499P reached 345km/h in qualifying at 24 Hours of Le Mans 2023.

However, it is not the final limit, as in 1988 24 Hours of Le Mans, Roger Dorchy went beyond the edge, 407km/h at the wheel of WM P88, at the Mulsanne Straight, which is still unbeatable, and perhaps never will be.

The WEC Hypercar (LPM1) is the fastest car in closed-wheel, but what about open-wheel cars? Do of their design, these have the most advantage? 

Let’s start with the reverse order, from the fastest to the slowest car in the categories.

INDYCAR 

Chip Ganassi Racing charged with Honda 

·   Average speed: 270km/h

·   Top speed: 378km/h

IndyCar is the king of speed; it is the fastest car in world racing!

Just think, the star Chip Ganassi Racing’s car charged with a Honda engine has an average speed of 270km/h and strictly seeks 300km/h, despite its speed variating on different tracks.

Yep, it takes for 3 seconds to IndyCar reach 0-100km/h, but it doesn’t stop to these cars make outrageous speeds, like Scott Dixon, who took the 2022 Indy 500’s pole with a 378km/h.

However, Aerie Luyendyk topped even higher. He reached over 381 km/h Indy 500 in 1996. 

As for Formula 1 and non-endless debates on which is faster, let’s be honest. The speed scores of F1 cars aren’t as far from Indaycar, but the crucial factor makes the point. The weight. IndyCar vehicles are lighter than their comrades in Formula 1 and resultantly faster. 

FIA FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

Red Bull RB19

·   Average speed: 250km/h

·   Top speed: 370km/h

Formula 1 provides the second fastest car in the racing world. With an average of 250km/h, F1 cars accelerate 0-10km/h in 1.8 seconds, while the current F1 speed record holds at 370km/h. 

Thus, on the brand new Las Vegas Grand Prix, Ferrari’s driver Carlos Sainz reached 366km/h at one of its straights, as Scuderiafans reported. 

Talking about Formula 1 in the past, Juan Pablo Montoya set the speed record for 372.6 km/h at the 2005 Italian Grand Prix.

ABB FIA FORMULA E WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

NEOM McLaren Formula E

·   Average speed: 132km/h

·   Top speed: 220km/h

Formula E cars are the slowest in the open wheels category in our chart. 

Despite the possible 322km/h, the actual speed in the championship is slower, and NEOM McLaren Formula E recently took the Guinness record for 218km/h indoors.

With acceleration of 0-100km/h in 2,8 seconds, the Formula E cars’ performance has improved from race to race, while their average speed 

already holds on the 132km/h mark. 

Not bad for an electric car!

Let’s conclude

Leaving all the historical speed records behind, all the closed and open-wheel cars of most of the world championships currently racing with an average speed of 220km/h, while the speed records strive to the enormous 380km/h. 

As for NASCAR and IndyCar. With a top speed of 321km/h, NASCAR is the second fastest after WEC hypercars in closed wheels, while IndyCar, and its 378km/h, is the fastest race car in the world. 

Pumping up all the information together, here is what the top fastest cars chart has to look like:

#9 Peugeot 208 RX1e Car (World RX) – 180km/h

#8 Toyota Hilux Dakar Rally Car (W2RC) – 200km/h

#7 Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid Car (WRC) – 210km/h

#6 NEOM McLaren (Formula E) – 220km/h

#5 Porsche 911 GT3 R (DTM) – 280km/h 

#4 Hendrick Motorsports’s Chevrolet (NASCAR) – 321km/h

#3 Ferrari 499P (LMP1) (WEC) – 345km/h

#2 Red Bull RB19 (Formula 1) – 370km/h

#1 Chip Ganassi Racing (Honda) (IndyCar) – 378km/h