{"id":50883,"date":"2025-08-07T01:39:12","date_gmt":"2025-08-07T01:39:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/50883\/"},"modified":"2025-08-07T01:39:12","modified_gmt":"2025-08-07T01:39:12","slug":"nascar-phenom-kyle-larson-says-talladega-nights-turned-the-sport-into-a-joke","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/50883\/","title":{"rendered":"NASCAR Phenom Kyle Larson Says ‘Talladega Nights’ Turned the Sport ‘Into a Joke’"},"content":{"rendered":"

Kyle Larson is arguably the best all-around driver currently behind any wheel, and is a first-place contender every time he competes in the NASCAR Cup Series \u2013 just don\u2019t compare him to Ricky Bobby.<\/p>\n

The series champ appeared on Tuesday\u2019s episode of the \u201cGames With Names\u201d podcast, hosted by New England Patriots Super Bowl MVP Julian Edelman. Mid-conversation he was asked whether he liked \u201cTalladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby,\u201d the 2006 hit comedy starring Will Ferrell as a wildly successful but dim-witted NASCAR driver who coined the phrase \u201cIf you\u2019re not first, you\u2019re last.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDo (drivers) like \u2018Talladega Nights?\u2019 Is that movie funny or is that dumb for you guys?,\u201d co-host Sam Morrill asked Larson, who somewhat hesitated to answer.<\/p>\n

\u201cI \u2014 I mean I like the movie,\u201d Larson said. \u201cI think it did not do anything good for our sport. I think it turned our sport into like a joke unfortunately. But uh, it is \u2014 I mean that\u2019s got to be like the most \u2014 one of the most popular race movies.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Edelman tried to block-and-tackle for the 2006 hit by Adam McKay \u2013 \u201cIt\u2019s just a funny comedy with those boys,\u201d he said \u2013 but Larson stayed in the gas.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah. But that\u2019s just \u2014 I feel like it \u2014 just the rest of the world, like that\u2019s what they think about our sport now,\u201d Larson said.<\/p>\n

[Note to Larson: They already thought that.]<\/p>\n

\u201cI still think of \u2026 one of the hottest short men of all time getting pulled over by some really smoke-show scene after winning the Daytona 500,\u201d Edelman said. \u201cYeah, that\u2019s what I think of. The coolest.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat might be one of the best movie scenes in the history of movies, dude,\u201d Larson said.<\/p>\n

Alright, so maybe not great for NASCAR, but good for short dudes.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s what I always used to say when I had a taller girlfriend,\u201d the relatively diminutive (for the NFL) Edelman said. \u201cReal relationship right there, baby. I feel like a NASCAR driver right now. I\u2019m about to get in my car.\u201d<\/p>\n

Larson also noted that his friend (and Hendrick Motorsports boss) Jeff Gordon told him the other night that a \u201cDays of Thunder\u201d sequel is seriously on the mind of Tom Cruise.<\/p>\n

\u201c[Gordon] is good friends with Tom and he went to \u2026 the premiere or whatever of \u2018Mission Impossible,\u2019\u201d Larson said. \u201cWhen [Gordon saw] Tom, he\u2019s like, \u2018We\u2019re doing it. We got to do another \u2018Days of Thunder.\u2019 So, let\u2019s go.\u201d<\/p>\n

Watch the entire exchange in the video above.<\/p>\n

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