“Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby,” an
irreverent comedy based in the outlandish (fictionalized)
world of American stock car racing, premiered in movie
theaters around the United States on August 4, 2006.

Comedian Will Ferrell (who also co-wrote the screenplay
with director Adam McKay and served as an executive
producer) starred as Ricky Bobby, a leading driver on
the National Association for Stock Auto Car Racing
(NASCAR) circuit.

Mike Chase (April 17, 1952 – April 18, 2025)

Chase was a professional stock car racing driver. Winner of
the 1994 series championship in the NASCAR Winston West
Series, he also competed in the Winston Cup Series, Busch
Series, and Craftsman Truck Series and worked for Penske
Racing as a crewman. He was 73.

After retiring from competition, Mike Chase worked for several
race teams, including Wood Brothers Racing; he worked for
Penske Racing as a fabricator. Chase was also a crew chief
in the Nationwide Series.

Chase was inducted into the West Coast Stock Car Hall of
Fame in 2010.
(From Wikipedia)

On February 22, 1959, Lee Petty defeated Johnny Beauchamp
in a photo finish at the just-opened Daytona International
Speedway in Florida to win the first-ever Daytona 500.

The Streamline Hotel in Daytona Beach, Florida, where
NASCAR was found.

NASCAR was founded by William France, Sr. on February 21,
1948 with the help of several other drivers of the time.

The original plans for NASCAR included three distinct
divisions: Modified, Roadster, and Strictly Stock.

William Henry Getty France
(September 26, 1909 – June 7, 1992)

Ralph Dale Earnhardt (April 29, 1951 – February 18, 2001)

Dale Earnhardt is widely regarded as one of the greatest drivers in NASCAR history and was named as one of the NASCAR’s 50
Greatest Drivers class in 1998.