The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series car is a purpose-built racing machine, designed with a balance of speed and safety in mind.

Although the performance of the 2013 racing model is vastly different than street-legal counterparts, measures have been taken to make sure NASCAR's newest vehicle bears more than a passing resemblance to the cars that populate American showrooms.

Despite the commonalities (such as four-wheel disc brakes as standard equipment), many race-ready features won't show up as factory options on the car that's in your driveway.

Today's Sprint Cup racer, which churns out 850 horsepower under its 24-gauge sheet metal hood, is built on a rectangular steel-tube chassis with roll cage and features a driver-side window net, all in the interest of maximum safety. The speedway car also boasts aluminum roof strips, rear-deck fins and a 3.5-inch rear spoiler to help drivability at speeds that can reach upward of 200 mph.