When I was a kid it seemed like it took longer to drive from California to Utah than it does now. Some of that is explained by increased speed limits! In 2013 the Utah stretch of I-80 was increased to 80 MPH. In 2017 large portions of I-80 in Nevada were increased to 80 MPH. So if roughly 400 miles of highway had a 5MPH boost to it, that’s a 20 minute savings!
The rest of the speed increase can be attributed to my wife, who reminds us that it is just as easy to eat in the car and keeps us moving.