zzdcar
Home
/
Reviews
/
Culture
/
Talladega Nights Is Now Old Enough to Drive
Talladega Nights Is Now Old Enough to Drive-April 2024
2024-02-19 EST 22:12:04

Oh, 2006. The year that brought us the Nintendo Wii, Twitter, Britney Spears breaking up with Kevin Federline, and Beyonce’s “Irreplaceable.” I had just graduated from high school, enjoying the last hurrahs of teenage freedom before college, a full-time job, responsibility, and adulthood.

One of those outings that summer was to see in theaters. My car-guy friends and I had decided to run into town to the movie theater at the mall. (Remember malls? When people actually shopped, and they weren’t just settings for post-apocalypse movies and Stranger Things?)

That outing was almost exactly 16 years ago, because Talladega Nights turns 16 years old today. Old enough for a driver’s license.

While I digest that, I’ll bring us back to Talladega Nights and the brilliance of and .

This film came after Will Ferrell’s time at Saturday Night Live, what my generation considers the best era of the show. Ferrell’s final season included cast members Tina Fey, Chris Parnell, Chris Kattan, and Maya Rudolph.

Coming off of SNL, Ferrell had a string of ridiculously popular movies, including Old School (2003), Elf (2003), and Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004). It was the beginning of an era where it felt like Ferrell was everywhere.

And sure, Buddy the Elf and Ron Burgundy gave us some great lines that people my age still quote. But it was who gave us gems like:

“If you’re not first, you’re last.”

“SHAKE N’ BAKE!”

“I’m not sure what to do with my hands.”

“Dear Lord, baby Jesus,”

And…

“I wake up in the morning and piss excellence.”

How many of us have quoted one of those lines in the past month? If you’re currently in your mid-30s, you’ve probably recited a Ricky Bobby quote today.

Talladega Nights had such an impact on the racing world, IndyCar’s Simon Pagenaud was frequently (played excellently by Sacha Baron Cohen).

Even today, Formula 1 drivers are , when they’re not .

It’s hard to imagine a world without Talladega Nights. While I’m not sure it did much for NASCAR’s image, it poked lighthearted fun at the series, and the carefully constructed down-home image of the incredibly wealthy drivers at the top of the sport.

And the quotes still make their way into our conversations, memes and garages — even on race day.

Happy Sweet Sixteen, Talladega Nights. Just make sure you’re home with the car by 8 p.m.

Comments
Welcome to zzdcar comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Culture
Nissan Is Giving Japan A Skyline NISMO That Makes More Power Than The Z
Nissan Is Giving Japan A Skyline NISMO That Makes More Power Than The Z
Many automakers tend to offer their home countries better products than they do in overseas ones. Take automakers in Japan. There’s all manner of various trims of JDM legends that we never received in the U.S. like the Honda NSX-R, and the . Some models come close but they’re...
Apr 5, 2026
Amazon Doesn't 'Employ' Drivers But Also Doesn't Want Them Unionizing: Report
Amazon Doesn't 'Employ' Drivers But Also Doesn't Want Them Unionizing: Report
insists that it doesn’t employ directly, as the has a habit of hiring outside companies and so-called contractors to . But it looks like Amazon acknowledges that drivers are, indeed, its whenever these workers threaten to , according to , and the company continues to spend millions on anti-union...
Apr 5, 2026
Tesla's New CFO Will Have To Do Double Duty In New Position
Tesla's New CFO Will Have To Do Double Duty In New Position
Good morning! It’s Tuesday, August 8, 2023, and this is , your daily roundup of the top automotive headlines from around the world, in one place. Here are the important stories you need to know. Vaibhav Taneja will serve as new chief financial officer after , abruptly stepped down...
Apr 5, 2026
Rivian Won’t Join The EV Price War Anytime Soon
Rivian Won’t Join The EV Price War Anytime Soon
Happy Wednesday! It’s August 9, 2023, and this is , your daily roundup of the top automotive headlines from around the world, in one place. Here are all the important stories you need to know today. Ever since for its electric vehicles, carmakers around the world have been following...
Apr 5, 2026
The EV Early Adopter Era Is Over, And Automakers Are Scrambling
The EV Early Adopter Era Is Over, And Automakers Are Scrambling
It looks like it’s going to be a bit harder for to from here on out. According to , the is just about done. Now, it’s time for the more price-conscious “early majority,” and they’re proving to be a tougher get for car companies. The outlet reports that mainstream...
Apr 5, 2026
Speculative Review: Gran Turismo Is (Most Likely) A Sports Biopic For The Gaming Age
Speculative Review: Gran Turismo Is (Most Likely) A Sports Biopic For The Gaming Age
, Sony’s shot at the that , comes out at the end of this month. Today, started all over — it seems some members of the press have already seen it but didn’t. But the bosses want those sweet sweet review clicks, and by god I’m here to ....
Apr 5, 2026
Copyright 2023-2026 - www.zzdcar.com All Rights Reserved