As if the name was not obvious enough, NASCAR caters to stock cars. Inevitably, these cars will make it out onto the roads in America. However, there is a world of difference between a NASCAR race car and its normal road car counterpart. First and foremost, there is the speed factor, where a NASCAR Cup car can easily hit more than 300 kph. A road-going car might struggle to reach those numbers in part because of the legality.

Recently, the Joe Gibbs Racing team shared a video on social media talking about the two cars. Now, they can’t speak for Ford or Chevrolet, so their video mostly catered to Toyota. However, it can be fair to assume that Chevrolet and Ford representatives would likely have similar numbers.

How long does one NASCAR engine last?

Speaking of statistics, JGR revealed some impressive figures. In terms of mileage, the race car cannot hold a candle to its road counterpart on the reliability scale. This is, however, forgivable, as NASCAR Camrys endure significantly more stress than their street-legal counterparts. The same could apply to the Ford Mustang Dark Horse and Chevrolet Camaro.

The team said on Instagram, “How many miles get put on a NASCAR engine. Our engines are built by Toyota in California. They are typically only used for 1-2 races, including the practice session. Your car’s engine should last 200,000 miles or more, but our racing engines are only designed to last 1000 miles.”

As mentioned before, a NASCAR Cup car puts its engine under a lot of stress. It’s largely because the cars go flat out at more than 300 kph for long periods of time. A regular road car does not exactly test to its absolute limit, so the engines usually last longer. Since the Cup cars’ engines last around a 1000 miles, that is effectively two races. That is assuming that those engines don’t develop problems and blow up in a spectacular fashion.

In other words, in a 36-race season, a single team goes through multiple engines. According to the regulations, teams are limited to a minimum 16 engines and a maximum of 20 engines during the season. Of course, unscheduled engine changes usually result in the offending car starting from the rear of the field.

The bottom line is that the NASCAR Cup teams have to really watch out for reliability.

Joe Gibbs Racing is hoping for a great 2025 Cup campaign

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In all honesty, 2024 was a bit disappointing for the organization. All four of their drivers missed out on the title yet again, and no one reached the Championship 4. Christopher Bell came agonizingly came close, but had to settle for 5th in the standings, while Denny Hamlin was 8th. The two are still hunting for their maiden Cup Series title, and the latter is slowly getting on in years.

2025 will be the chance for the team to recuperate and begin afresh. However, this time, they have a new recruit in the form of Chase Briscoe. Following the exit of Stewart-Haas Racing and Martin Truex Jr’s retirement, the stars aligned for Briscoe to earn a spot. That was despite Christopher Bell pulling a Tom Holland and accidentally spilling the beans in front of the media.

All jokes aside, Briscoe’s arrival could mean that JGR is on a mission. They will be keen to take the fight to perennial title rivals, Hendrick Motorsports, the strongest team in NASCAR. Additionally, as the last two seasons have shown, Team Penske shouldn’t be underestimated.

Furthermore, there are other teams who are eager to get into the mix and challenge for the 2025 Cup title.