The game of bowling might have a simple premise but trying to achieve a consistently high score in every frame requires a delicate balance of speed and aim. According to various studies, a bowling ball is most effective at knocking down pins when it’s traveling at a speed of around 18 miles per hour. You can imagine, then, how crazy of a challenge it was for Australian pro-bowler Jason Belmonte to set the World GoBowling record for the fastest strike ever at 140 mph.
How did he do it?
Well, he needed a bit of help, first off; Belmonte teamed up with Stewart-Haas Racing NASCAR driver Aric Almirola to complete the task. The premise was simple: At Charlotte Motor Speedway, the duo set up 10 pins near the end of a long straightaway. Almirola would then pilot his Ford Mustang NASCAR Cup racer around the track where it could reach its top speed. Then, Belmonte would release a bowling ball in hopes of striking and knocking down all 10 pins.
But obviously, Belmonte didn’t hang his arm out the window at such speeds with a full-sized bowling ball. Instead, the team was given a set of custom-made rubberized bowling balls designed specifically for the task, a must when you consider that normal bowling balls are typically made of hard resin that could shatter if thrown out of a moving car at high speeds.
After several tries, Belmonte and Almirola were able to score a strike on the last attempt before coming to a rest to let the car cool down.
Check out the video below and before you think about trying it yourself, just know that it takes a little more than high speed and homegrown ingenuity to set a record like this.
