Elliott admits now that it's a little frightening to think of how fast the laps could be these days without restrictor plates, what with the endless stream of aerodynamics information teams have gathered since the plates came to be in 1987. Restrictor plates are slabs of metal with holes punched in them, attached to the carburetor to limit air flow, thus keeping the stock cars from realizing their full potential in speed. By 1998, restrictor plates were mandatory at the two superspeedways. The speeds were incredible. In the car, things kind of got relative.
Speed is a relative thing.
You're driving 55 miles per hour down the Interstate and you look down and see you're running 70, so you have to slow up. You get used to it. Petty recalls the sensation of racing at 210-215 mph, but the memory is somewhat fleeting. Going straight ahead at 215 miles per hour isn't that big of a deal after a while. Going sideways after running 215 is a major deal, believe me.