Kyle Larson rips 'Talladega Nights' for negative impact on NASCAR: 'Turned our sport into a joke'

Nearly 20 years ago, Ricky Bobby and Jean Girard sprinted on foot to the finish line at Talladega Superspeedway after crashing on the final lap. Bobby’s best friend Cal Naughton Jr., who had crashed out along with the rest of the field, was named the official winner of the race. It was an entertaining end to “Talladega Nights,” and Kyle Larson was one of the many who enjoyed the film.

Larson, however, isn’t convinced that Talladega Nights had a positive impact on NASCAR. Appearing on Julian Edelman‘s “Games With Names” podcast, Larson explained why he believes the film “turned our sport into a joke.”

“I liked the movie. Think it did not do anything good for our sport. I think it turned our sport into a joke, unfortunately,” Larson said. “That’s gotta be one of the most popular racing movies. … But the rest of the world, I feel like that’s what they think of our sport now.”

Talladega Nights was a smashing success, grossing $163 million worldwide. It came out in 2006 at the height of NASCAR’s popularity. That year, the Daytona 500 attracted 19.4 million viewers, making it the most watched NASCAR race of all-time.

If you have cable, chances are you can find Talladega Nights on your guide on any given night. And of course, Reese Bobby‘s iconic line of “if you ain’t first, you’re last” is still being printed on t-shirts today.

Kyle Larson talks ‘Days of Thunder’ sequel

With the success of “F1: The Movie,” is the demand there for another NASCAR film? Those who would answer yes to that question are in luck. At the F1 premiere in mid-June, Legendary movie producer Jerry Bruckheimer spoke about a new “Days of Thunder” being in the works. Bruckheimer was the producer of the original Days of Thunder film that was released in 1990.

Tom Cruise starred as Cole Trickle, a young NASCAR driver looking to make his way to the top of the Cup Series. Days of Thunder was a financial success as it made over $157 million worldwide. It also earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Sound. Larson would love to do a cameo in the Days of Thunder sequel, he told Edelman.

“I was with Jeff Gordon the other night and he’s good friends with Tom [Cruise] and he went to the premiere of Mission Impossible,” Larson said. “He’s like, ‘We’re doing it. We’ve got to do another Days of Thunder.’ I hope they do it. … I would absolutely be in it. I would like to be in it.”