Kyle Larson Gives ‘Talladega Nights’ Thumbs Down, Earns Top 2025 NASCAR Cup Series Drivers’ Championship Odds

To some stock-car cinephiles, NASCAR Cup Series driver Kyle Larson uttered blasphemy. The 2006 motion picture, “Talladega Nights,” is considered by many to be one of the greatest movies ever made.

To Larson, however, the storyline created a NASCAR punchline that did the industry a disservice.

“It turned our sport into a joke, unfortunately,” he said on the “Games with Names” podcast. “I liked the movie. Think it did not do anything good for our sport.”

Kevin Harvick, on his “Happy Hour” podcast, steered into Larson’s comments and slammed them.

“I thought it was hilarious,” said Harvick, who reportedly is moving into the Lake Norman, North Carolina, home where part of the movie was filmed.

Larson (+375), the 2021 Cup champion, drew the top sports-betting odds to capture his second title, according to BetOnline Sportsbook.

Kyle Larson has a hot take on Talladega Nights. 👀 pic.twitter.com/MjJfavz4HY

— Motorsport (@Motorsport) August 6, 2025

NASCAR Drivers Create DNF First

The past two Cup Series events were radically different, but ended up the same.

For the first time in NASCAR National Series history, the events featured back-to-back zero DNFs during runs at short-track Iowa Speedway and “road-course superspeedway” Watkins Glen International.

GREEN GREEN GREEN GREEN#GoBowlingAtTheGlen pic.twitter.com/PZRxQvwnAg

— Watkins Glen International (@WGI) August 10, 2025

2025 NASCAR Cup Series Drivers’ Championship Odds    

Here is a Week 25 look at the drivers’ odds for the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series drivers’ championship, according to BetOnline Sportsbook: 

*-Odds current at time of publication