When Will Ferrell made his movie, Talladega Nights, my first thought was why would you antagonize part of your fan base by making a parody of what so many of your fans hold dear. Well, I was wrong. Ferrell succeeded, but mainly by making a greater parody of what all true Southern men despise and that is the French.  The character of Jean Girard and his Evian sponsored car (ever noticed Evian is Naive spelled backwards) provide the perfect element to keep Ferrell from completely lampooning his Southern fans.

     So is life imitating art this Sunday at the Daytona 500? (I can’t believe I refer to anything by Ferrell as art.) For this good ol’ boy, this could well be my last season with any interest in NASCAR. It was bad enough when Mark Martin started driving the Viagra car. A product no true Southern man would ever admit needing. Sad when the Winston Cup became the Nextel Cup. For a true Southern man, your cigarette brand told as much about you as anything. Who cares what cell service you have. And starting Sunday, there will be a Toyota in the field at Daytona. 

     Hell’s bells, America, especially Southern America, still doesn’t even know how to pronounce this brand – is it To’yo’ta or Toy’ota? A automobile that was first imported as the gas sipping alternative to Detroit’s gas guzzling muscle cars are now on the same track? And because NASCAR has always started its season with its "Super Bowl", the Daytona 500, the venue is Daytona? Somehow having a future driver being known as "The Samurai" ain’t quite the same as "The Intimidator." RIP, Dale.