Kyle Larson and William Byron Declare Talladega Nights Made NASCAR Drivers “a Joke”

HMS stars Kyle Larson and William Byron deliver a brutal verdict on Will Ferrell's Talladega Nights that portrayed NASCAR as a joke to the world.

Kyle Larson and William Byron Declare Talladega Nights Made NASCAR Drivers “a Joke”

Kyle Larson (via Imagn), William Byron (via Frontstretch), Talladega Nights (via IMDb)

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NASCAR has continued to grow in popularity and demand in recent years, partly thanks to several Hollywood films that helped introduce the sport to new audiences. While there haven’t been any recent NASCAR-based movies, Talladega Nights, starring Will Ferrell and released in 2006, remains one of the most well-known. However, it has received mixed reactions over time. Kyle Larson recently looked back at the film and shared a brutal review, which was backed up by William Byron.

Talladega Nights was meant to be a sports-comedy film that was supposed to be a satire of NASCAR and American culture. Although the movie helped stock car racing gain some popularity, most of it was because of the negative light portrayed on the sport. Drivers and teams feared being looked at as a non-serious sport, as Kyle Larson shared his resentment towards the film released back in 2006.

Kyle Larson wasn’t completely against the comedy aspect of Talladega Nights. The 2021 Cup Series champion asserted that he liked the movie. However, he pointed out that the movie did not do anything good for NASCAR as a sport. If anything, the film turned the sport into a joke, which many of the drivers did not like or appreciate.

I mean, I like the movie, I think it did not do anything good for our sport. I think it turned our sport into a joke, unfortunately.

Kyle Larson said on the Games with Names podcast.

Larson’s teammate William Byron sided with the former on his criticism of Talladega Nights that turned NASCAR into a ‘joke’. Byron took to X and declared that he ‘100%’ agreed with whatever the 2021 champion had to say about the movie. The 27-year-old further declared that the first-time viewers of stock car racing shouldn’t view the sport as a laughingstock, as it was much more than that.

100%. Should not be the first thing people think of.

William Byron said on his X account, @WilliamByron.

Kyle Larson reveals his wishes to watch Days of Thunder 2

Days of Thunder starring Tom Cruise still remains one of the greatest films on NASCAR to date. There are already rumors of a Days of Thunder 2 being in the works. Kyle Larson, who wasn’t too happy with Talladega Nights, is certainly a big fan of Cruise’s film, released in 1990. As such, Larson couldn’t wait to witness a part two of his favorite film as the rumors only grew in number.

Kyle Larson
Kyle Larson (Via IMAGO)

Kyle Larson revealed that his favorite NASCAR movie remained Days of Thunder as he laid out his wishes to watch a second addition to the movie. Larson still berated Talladega Nights and reckoned that the movie was one of the most popular ones, as the world now viewed them in the way the movie portrayed. Regardless, the 2021 champion insisted that he hoped for a part 2 of Tom Cruise’s movie.

That’s gotta be one of the most popular racing movies [Talladega Nights].… But the rest of the world, I feel like that’s what they think of our sport now. I hope they do it [Days of Thunder 2]

Kyle Larson noted.

NASCAR continues to gain attention, especially as it starts exploring new ground. The sport is now trying to race outside the U.S. to bring in a global audience. Even though some movies push a negative image of NASCAR, they still help introduce it to people who might not have heard of it before. In the end, we’ll just have to wait and see what the sport has in store in the coming years when it comes to growing its popularity.

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