#19 Talladega 500
Talladega 500 – Talladega International Speedway – 7/26/87
Elliott and the Coors – Melling Ford Thunderbird Team arrived in Talladega, AL, on a boiling hot July day with some questions in the air. Since their last trip to Talladega International Speedway the smaller 390 CFM carburetors had been installed on all the cars at both Daytona and Talladega. For the last 3 years it wasn’t a question if Elliott would be on the pole at Talladega & Daytona; it was just how fast Elliott and his Ford Thunderbird would run. In The Winston 500 in May at Talladega Elliott broke yet another speed record for the pole at 212.809 mph. The record speed of 212.809 mph still stands today as the fastest time for a stock car in the NASCAR series on a closed course speedway. This record is likely to stand because of actions by NASCAR to slow the cars with smaller CFM carburetors, restrictor plates, fuel injection and other methods to keep the cars at a safer speed less than 200 mph. Elliott also holds the fastest record for a stock car at Daytona of 210.364 mph.