Talladega Nights, Shake 'N' Bake, come to NASCAR via Stewart-Haas Racing
Big-league auto racing has always had a commercial component based on market-driven forces that, by and large, pay the bills. Sometimes they're unique and downright clever. This time, it's a real beauty.
NASCAR's Stewart-Haas Racing and two of its drivers — Ryan Preece and Chase Briscoe — are bringing "Shake and Bake" to life this weekend at Talladega, 17 years after they became cinematic hits in the movie, "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby."
In the movie, Will Ferrell, as the title character, drove the Wonder Bread car, while John C. Reilly, as teammate Cal Naughton, Jr., wheeled a stock car adorned in Old Spice livery. Together, they called themselves "Shake and Bake."
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While Briscoe will get the Old Spice colors on his No. 14 Ford for Sunday's YellaWood 500 (2:30 p.m., NBC), Preece's No. 41 Ford will be head-to-toe Wonder Bread, which should bring Preece a better form of attention than he got several weeks ago with his horrifying crash at Daytona.
Unlike Ricky Bobby after his crash, Preece didn't deliver any pleas of "Help me, Jesus ... Help me, Tom Cruise." And hopefully he won't get the chance Sunday at Talladega — though, given Talladega's well-earned reputation, he just might get the chance.
“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 said. “Getting to have my teammate, Chase Briscoe, in the Old Spice car makes it all come together. The movie remains relevant after all these years, and there’s no better track than Talladega to work with your teammates."
Sometimes real life gets together with art, with competition along for the ride, and you just have to applaud the effort and, more importantly, pay attention. This one appears to check all the boxes ... so far.
"We’re going to have a lot of fun this weekend and I hope we get the No. 41 Wonder Bread Ford Mustang in victory lane.”
And if that happens, here's hoping Preece climbs from his car at the start-finish line and tells NBC's Marty Snider, "I'm just a big, hairy, American winning machine."
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Talladega Nights, Ricky Bobby, Shake 'n' Bake, back to NASCAR Sunday
