NASCAR-themed movie Talladega Nights, which hit the screens in 2006, featured icons like Jamie McMurray and Dale Earnhardt Jr. in cameo roles. It became a resounding success at the box office, and the performance of Will Ferrell as racer Ricky Bobby, the protagonist, was also highly praised. However, the movie has its critics in the racing world.
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Bubba Wallace and Chase Elliott are not very fond of the movie. That’s in stark contrast to Chase Briscoe and Ryan Preece, who had even raced in Talladega Nights-themed cars in 2023. “Talladega Nights is one movie that most people have seen and laughed with, and these really cool paint schemes will bring back those memories,” Preece had said.
The largely satirical narrative of Talladega Nights sure had its fans in splits. However, seems like Wallace and Elliott strongly dislike the movie and spelled out their reasons for it during the recent episode of the Rubbin is Racing podcast.
“It’s not like a good racing movie. It’s just a comedy. I remember watching it. I think I was in high school, maybe. A freshman or something. I saw that come out, and I was like, ‘They’re making fun of our sport.’ I was like, ‘That’s not right’,” Wallace said.
Elliott and Wallace were so critical of the movie that they even went on to call out the drivers who supported it.
“If you’re a driver and that’s your favorite racing movie… I don’t know about that. That’s pretty far off base,” said Elliott, insisting that the movie was a strong departure from reality.
Was that a direct dig at Briscoe and Preece? The former Stewart-Haas Racing teammates could care less though. After all, they expressed their love for the movie at the Talladega Superspeedway itself in 2023.
Another person who would be against Wallace and Elliott’s take is Kevin Harvick. The former driver had even planned a sequel to the Talladega Nights last year.
The idea began when talks of a sequel to Tom Cruise’s blockbuster, Days of Thunder, started doing the rounds. In the 1990 movie, the superstar played the part of Cole Trickle, a young driver looking to make a name for himself in NASCAR. That got Harvick all excited.
“I think we should have Ricky Bobby or Will Ferrell and Talladega Nights too. I know where we can film it… We’re going to film it in a modernized Ricky Bobby home,” he said on the Harvick Happy Hour podcast. Such a sequel may become another hit at the box office though Wallace and Elliott may skip it.
That can’t be said about the rest of the racing world, though. NASCAR’s sporting and cultural pull is such that many artists and directors have used its image in their works.
Eminem, for instance, mentioned Dale Earnhardt in his 2013 release titled ‘Rap God.’ Racing icon Dick Trickle’s name made a special appearance on the sitcom, That 70s Show. Then, of course, we have the Talladega Nights.
