Hopefully he knows how to drive with the fear.
Carson Hocevar’s helmet for his first NASCAR Cup Series race at Talladega Superspeedway is a tip of the hat to the “Talladega Nights” film.
The Spire Motorsports driver’s helmet features a cougar painted on the back of it, which is a callback to a famous scene from the classic comedy flick.
Will Ferrell’s character Ricky Bobby worked to overcome a paralyzing fear by driving with a cougar in his car at the behest of his deadbeat father, former racer Reese Bobby.
The film is beloved in the NASCAR community and drivers often pay tribute to it at the Talladega races.
Last fall, Stewart-Haas Racing drivers Chase Briscoe and Ryan Preece drove cars sponsored by Old Spice and Wonder, which were featured in the film.
But nothing tops the car Kurt Busch drove in the 2012 spring race. The unsponsored Phoenix Racing car wore the same Me wrap with a cougar on the hood that Ricky Bobby’s had during his triumphant comeback race in the movie.
Busch didn’t win, but did place 20th for the underfunded part-time team.
Hocevar made the jump from the Truck Series to the Cup Series this year and is coming off of a 10th place finish at Texas Motor Speedway.