Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
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Alex Cabrero reporting The highest speed limit in Utah is 75 miles an hour. A Salt Lake man though, was planning on doing more than 400 miles an hour on the Bonneville Salt Flats, hoping to set a world record.
Mike Nish: "Today is the day."
Of all the things men like most, going fast would be tough to beat.
Mike Nish: "It's like getting launched out of a rocket."
Mike Nish has been faster than most of us. He's the driver of the Royal Purple; a car that has already set eight speed records. Today at the Bonneville Salt Flats, Salt Lake CIty based Nish Motorsports was going for the big one.
Mike Nish: "This record is the holy grail of landspeed racing."
409 miles an hour is the record for non-turbocharged engines. It's stood for more than 40 years.
Mike Nish: "This is the one we really want."
The first attempt started well. But a couple of miles in, Nish had to stop. The gears froze, not allowing him to shift. Mechanics had to take the car apart and start again.
Terry Nish, Nish Motorsports: "We've had a couple of problems on the car that typically never gives us a problem."
Terry Nish, Mike's father, runs the team. He was here 41 years ago when this record was set.
Terry Nish, Nish Motorsports: "I've been chasing this record for so long, it wore me out."
Today wore him out too. On the second run there was a fuel issue, forcing Nish to stop again.
Mike Nish: "Nobody said it was going to be easy, and that's why that record has been there for over 40 years.
The team is just hoping, it won't last a day longer. The team attempted a third run, but nearly spun the car out on take-off. They'll go for the World Record again tomorrow morning.
