During the recently concluded NASCAR Cup Series race weekend at Talladega Superspeedway, several drivers, including Cleetus McFarland, Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski, and other fellow drivers, shared their favorite quote or famous line from the iconic movie Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby.
Talladega Nights’ iconic lines have undeniably permeated NASCAR culture and are often referenced by drivers and fans alike.
Ahead of Sunday’s Jack Link’s 500, Chat Us Up, an Instagram page, shared a video where they asked several drivers, like Chase Elliott, Bubba Wallace, Cleetus McFarland, NASCAR veterans Denny Hamlin and Brad Keselowski, and others about their most loved quotes from Talladega Nights, a movie based on the life of a fictional stock car driver named Ricky Bobby.
Sharing his favorite quote, Cleetus McFarland, a popular automotive YouTuber and part-time ARCA Series driver, said:
“If you ain’t first, you’re last is just such a classic.”
Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin at Talladega said:
“Wake up every morning piss for excellence”
RFK Racing/co-owner Brad Keselowski, known for his success at Talladega said:
“Please be 18.”
Spire Motorsports driver Michael McDowell said:
“I like it. I can’t quote it, but I like when he’s like, you got me twisted up like a pretzel when he’s telling him that he was sorry. I like when Cal’s like, was he messing with me?”
Whereas NASCAR Cup Series Most Popular Driver Chase Elliott said he’s more a fan of Tom Cruise’s starrer “Days of Thunder.”
Cleetus McFarland reflects on his career first top-10 finish at Talladega
YouTuber Cleetus McFarland clinched his first career top-10 finish in the ARCA Menards Series at Talladega Superspeedway last Saturday despite facing engine problems. He finished 10th in the 38-driver field.
McFarland, who drives the #30 Ford for Rette Jones Racing, had a valve spring break in his engine, but he managed to secure the P10 results in his second ARCA appearance.
Reflecting on his top-10 Talladega outing, here’s what McFarland said:
“It was hectic, man, honestly. Like I told everyone else, we dropped a cylinder, and then we came back and found a broken valve spring, but like, just had a lot of fun reading the air and knowing that if I was out of the draft, I’m done and we just fought and fought and fought to stay right up in the draft. It took us like two laps to get up to speed, and I’m thankful for some drivers out here who pushed me back into the draft, and we just got a top ten finish. We got lucky.”
The 30-year-old Omaha, Nebraska, native has an automotive YouTube channel with more than 4 million subscribers and is currently competing part-time in the ARCA Series.
Edited by Yash Soni