Talladega Nights: The 20 Funniest Ricky Bobby Quotes

Summary Fans still quote Ricky Bobby's iconic lines today, cementing Talladega Nights as a comedy classic.

Will Ferrell's portrayal of Ricky Bobby is one of his most memorable roles, full of humor and arrogant charm.

The movie's hilarious moments and memorable quotes showcase the chemistry between Ferrell and his co-stars, making it a must-watch comedy.

The most iconic Ricky Bobby quotes from Talladega Nights are memorable snippets that show why the NASCAR comedy is an underrated gem. While Will Ferrell and Adam McKay's collaborations may be over, Talladega Nights remains one of their best joint projects. The story of an arrogant NASCAR driver who needs to learn some humility is packed with laugh-out-loud moments and hilarious one-liners. While there are many funny performances, Ferrell's Rick Bobby is the star of the show.

Ricky is one of Ferrell's most memorable roles, and he has some of the funniest lines that people still quote today. There are endless hilarious Ricky Bobby quotes to cement Talladega Nights as a classic. While the movie has plenty of funny characters with memorable lines, the Ricky Bobby quotes remain memorable years later and still make audiences laugh out loud. Whether it's the accent with which Ferrell busts them out, his facial expressions, or the antics of the character itself, there's no question that Talladega Nights quotes are in line with the hilarity of the best Anchorman quotes.

Related 10 Best Movies Like Talladega Nights There are plenty of hilarious movies like Talladega Nights that are just as silly and endlessly quotable as the Will Ferrell NASCAR comedy.

20 "Absolutely Ma'am. I'd Love To Sign Your Baby."

Ricky Bobby To A Fan

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One of the best Ricky Bobby quotes comes right at the beginning of Talladega Nights. The early scenes in the movie show Ricky's quick rise to the top of the NASCAR world as one of its best drivers, and he becomes a huge celebrity with fans all around him at all times. While he might have been unsure at first, Ricky quickly takes to this new level of fame.

Ricky Bobby is one of the most arrogant characters Will Ferrell has ever played, even compared to the likes of Anchorman's Ron Burgundy, and there are many Talladega Nights quotes like this which show just how inflated his ego is are hilarious. Ricky happily signs autographs for a group of eager fans and loves the attention. He even excitedly agrees to sign the forehead of a fan's baby and then suggests that they won't want to wash the child anymore.

19 "I Was Gone For Three Hours!"

Ricky Bobby To Cal & Carley

Ricky Bobby's teammate, Cal, has been fed up with being in Ricky's shadow, and the second he gets the opportunity he usurps Ricky in more ways than one. Just as quickly as Ricky's career rises to great heights, it falls apart. When Ricky Bobby is no longer the best racer around, it is not just his career that suffers but also his personal life. After being fired, Ricky returns home to find his best friend Cal at his house hanging out with his wife and kids like they are one big happy family.

This quote is all the more memorable thanks to the presence of Ferrell's frequent collaborator John C. Reilly

Cal and Carley then tell him that they are planning on getting married. Confused, Ricky points out that all this has happened when he's been gone for only a few hours. This quote is all the more memorable thanks to the presence of Ferrell's frequent collaborator John C. Reilly, who plays Cal, and the chemistry of the pair comes to the fore throughout the entire scene.

18 "The Ninjas Are Trying To Get Me."

Ricky Bobby To His Race Crew

Will Ferrell comes up with one of the best Ricky Bobby quotes in the throes of paranoia. Following his devastating crash, Ricky loses his edge as a racer and has a hard time getting back behind the wheel. While such a reaction to a traumatic experience like that is to be expected, Ricky's fear is all over the place. After trying out a practice run in which he fails to go more than a few miles per hour, Ricky strips naked in panic and runs out onto the racetrack.

For no particular reason, he starts raving about ninjas attacking him, proving that he might not be ready to race again. While Ricky's arrogance makes for some great Talladega Nights quotes, this one instead leans on Ferrell's ability to deliver even the most ridiculous of lines with total earnestness, and the result is — of course — hilarious.

17 "Everyone Turn Away. Things Are Gonna Get Crazy. We’re Gonna Make Animal Noises."

Ricky Bobby To The Restaurant Customers

To say that Ricky Bobby has no issues with public displays of affection is an understatement, a fact that's made clear at several points in the movie. However, while the scenes with Ricky and his wife Carley (Leslie Bibb) are hilarious, so is the moment he finds his next love. Talladega Nights is a comedy filled with some terrific actors, and it is especially fun seeing some up-and-coming talents appearing in smaller roles.

Ricky is courteous enough to warn the other patrons to look away from the bizarre love scene.

While Amy Adams was on her way to becoming an iconic actor in the 2010s, she appeared as Ricky's assistant Susan, who becomes his love interest in a hilarious scene. While at a restaurant, Susan tries to reignite Ricky's fire. Gradually, the two realize they share a mutual attraction and begin climbing on the table and making out. Ricky is courteous enough to warn the other patrons to look away from the bizarre love scene.

16 "Well, What Do You Say We Get Thrown Out Of An Applebee's?"

Ricky Bobby To His Dad Reese

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Many of the best Talladega Nights quotes have to do with the chaotic Bobby family. When Ricky's father, Reese, comes back into his life, they attempt to have a father-son bond, only for Reese to prove he is still an irresponsible and reckless man. At the end of the movie, when Ricky has won everything back that meant something to him, he knows that Reese isn't going to change.

However, Ricky seems to accept that his father is no role model and suggests the whole family go out together and get kicked out of Applebee's. It is the kind of family outing that seems fitting for this clan. The fact that getting ejected from the establishment is part of the plan says everything about the Bobby family and their values, and this makes for one of dozens of laugh-out-loud moments.

15 "Shake And Bake!"

Ricky Bobby & Cal's NASCAR Catchphrase

"Shake and bake!" is one of the most memorable Ricky Bobby quotes and is repeated many times throughout the film. Talladega Nights may be about Ricky Bobby's redemption as a racer, but it is also a buddy story between Ricky and his racing partner Cal Naughton Jr., played by Ferrell's frequent comedy costar, John C. Reilly. These two men make for an unstoppable duo on the track and even come up with their catchphrase. These best buddies often yell their saying, "shake and bake," after every victory or really whenever they feel like it.

The words mean much more to Ricky than they do to Cal.

Supposedly, the catchphrase is meant to speak to how well they go together. However, as becomes apparent as Ricky's life falls apart, their partnership isn't as solid as it seems. Cal is eager to take Ricky's place, showing that no matter how many times they say "shake and bake" then fist-bump for the cameras, the words mean much more to Ricky than they do to Cal.

Related 10 Iconic Will Ferrell Characters, Ranked By Likability Throughout his career, Will Ferrell has played characters ranging from lovable goofballs like Buddy the Elf to loudmouthed jerks like Ron Burgundy.

14 "I Just Read In The Newspaper That They Put A Pig Heart In Some Guy In Russia."

Ricky Bobby To His Manager Lucius

Despite his talent as a racer, Ricky Bobby can also be reckless, which doesn't sit well with his team. Unfortunately, the fact that he keeps winning only fuels his ego and makes him feel invincible. And the more delusional he becomes, the funnier it is. After a particularly dangerous race, Ricky's manager Lucius warns him against such moves and says that he won't live forever.

However, Ricky argues that with advances in science, anything is possible, and he's even heard of a pig heart transplant. It's a hilariously strange detail that is made even funnier as Ricky clarifies that the man died. The interactions between Ricky and Lucius are made all the funnier due to Lucius being played by The Green Mile star Michael Clarke Duncan, who does a great job at remaining poker-faced despite the ridiuclousness of some of Ferrel's lines.

13 "You Sound Like A Dog With Peanut Butter On The Roof Of Your Mouth."

Ricky Bobby To Jean Girard

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One of the highlights of the movie is the rivalry between Ricky Bobby and the French racer, Jean Girard, played by Sacha Baron Cohen. Much like Ricky Bobby, Jean Girard isn't one of the most renowned characters played by Sacha Baron Cohen, but he is definitely one of the most hilarious, and made all the funnier by Ricky Bobby's reaction to him.

It's made all the funnier by Cohen's highly exaggerated French accent, especially the way that Girard pronounces Ricky Bobby.

While former Formula 1 driver Girard admires his opponent, Ricky is immediately hostile to Girard and sees him as an outsider. When they first meet, Ricky shows his ignorance by talking down to Girard just because he is French. Ricky says he can't even understand the man just because he is speaking English with an accent. It's made all the funnier by Cohen's highly exaggerated French accent, especially the way that Girard pronounces Ricky Bobby.

12 "I've Lived My Whole Life By That!"

Ricky Bobby To His Dad Reese

Ricky Bobby has some incredibly temperamental family dynamics, and not just with his own wife and children but with his parents too - especially his father, Reese (played by The West Wing star Gary Cole). Despite barely knowing his father, Ricky has always lived by the one piece of advice he gave Ricky: "If you're not first, you're last." It's a philosophy he espouses multiple times throughout Talladega Nights and drives everything he does, though learning the truth behind the wisdom becomes crushing for him.

When his father shows back up in Ricky's life later on, Ricky reminds him of those words he said to him years ago. However, Ricky's father admitted he was high when he gave this advice to his son, and pointed out how it didn't even make sense. These were the words Ricky lived his whole life by, and the fact that they are immediately deemed meaningless makes it a little sad — but mostly hilarious.

11 "Yup, Flying Through The Air. This Is Not Good."

Ricky Bobby To Himself

Though Adam McKay was mostly known for his comedic filmmaking at the time, Talladega Nights also showed he could handle action sequences. Talladega Nights never forgets that it's a comedy first and foremost, but McKay delivers genuinely thrilling race scenes that would be worthy of the best car movies — and the most impressive of them comes with Ricky's devastating crash.

To see him completely calm while he's in mid-car-crash is priceless.

Viewers could be forgiven for momentarily forgetting they are watching a comedy as they see Ricky's car flip through the air. But McKay is wise enough to add some levity in the intense moment as Ricky Bobby calmly sits in his airborne car and points out how bad this situation is. This moment is made all the funnier because of how overly emotional Ricky Bobby is in even the most mundane situations, so to see him completely calm while he's in mid-car-crash is priceless.

10 "Well, Let Me Just Quote The Late Great Colonel Sanders, Who Said... 'I'm Too Drunk To Taste This Chicken.'"

Ricky Bobby To Jean Girard

Any moment Ferell's Ricky Bobby and Sacha Baron Cohen's Jean Girard are on-screen together has plenty of memorable lines, but their argument when they bump into each other at a bar produces many of the funniest. Whether it's Will Ferrell's delivery or the actual line itself, one of the best Ricky Bobby quotes is also one of the few that barely makes sense. Something that the Adam McKay-Will Ferrell collaborations excel at is non-sequitur humor.

This quote is a prime example of how they can make audiences laugh by saying something completely unexpected and unrelated to anything. While the intellectual Frenchman Jean Girard quotes William Blake while the two battle it out in the bar scene, the less intellectual Ricky Bobby is forced to break out a more obscure quote — that is likely made up.

9 "This Sticker Is Dangerous And Inconvenient, But I Do Love Fig Newtons."

Ricky Bobby To His Pit Crew

The best Talladega Nights quotes also poke fun at the racing industry in general, which is why it stands as such a good sports comedy regardless of whether viewers are fans of Will Ferrell's unique style of comedy or not. It would be a fair accusation to say that Ricky Bobby is a sell-out. As a famous NASCAR racer, he would promote absolutely anything on his car, and it's this willingness to offer up anything he can as advertising space that leads to an incredibly funny moment.

Ricky Bobby goes so far as to sell ad space on the windshield of his car, making driving difficult.

Ricky Bobby goes so far as to sell ad space on the windshield of his car, making driving difficult. Even Ricky has to admit that he might have gone too far and shows some rare regret. However, he also seems to justify it by insisting he does love Fig Newtons. It's funny how Ricky Bobby can balance liking a product he's endorsing and putting himself in incredible danger.

Related Talladega Nights' 10 Funniest Scenes Comedy duo Will Ferrell and Adam McKay followed up Anchorman with Talladega Nights, a movie about NASCAR driver Ricky Bobby, full of hilarious scenes.

8 "Handsome, Beautiful, Articulate Sons, Who Are Talented And Star Athletes And They Have Their Legs Taken Away."

Ricky Bobby To Lucius Washington

Once Ricky Bobby's downfall does come, it comes hard. While it's tragic for the character, it also understandably creates some of the funniest lines of dialogue in the entire movie given both Ricky Bobby's ego reacting to not being the absolute best like he thought he was, and Will Ferrell's delivery. After a terrible accident on the racetrack, Ricky convinces himself that he is paralyzed.

Ricky's friends visit him in the hospital try to show him his paralysis is psychosomatic and all in his head, but Ricky doesn't take it well. Trapped in his own delusion, Ricky wishes that his friends had healthy and athletic boys only for them to lose their legs. It is a shockingly cruel thing to say to someone and Michael Clarke Duncan's explosively angry reaction to it makes it all the more hilarious.

7 "From Now On, You're The Magic Man And I'm El Diablo."

Ricky Bobby To Cal

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There's a reason that studios enjoy casting Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly together, as the two have almost unmatched chemistry as a comedy duo, whether it's playing adult children in Step Brothers, Sherlock Holmes and Watson in Holmes & Watson, or NASCAR drivers — as this hilarious Ricky Bobby quote shows. While Ricky Bobby and Cal seem like inseparable friends in the beginning, their friendship soon falls apart after Ricky's fall from grace.

The nicknames make even less sense, especially when Ricky insists El Diablo means "fighting chicken."

With Ricky out, Cal steps into his role as the star racer and even goes after Ricky's wife. This breaks their friendship, and it seems impossible to fix. However, Cal eventually regrets what he did and suggests the return of their famous "Shake and Bake" catchphrase. Ricky refuses but introduces new nicknames for them. The nicknames make even less sense, especially when Ricky insists El Diablo means "fighting chicken."

6 "Dear 8 Pounds 6 Ounces Newborn Infant Jesus, Don't Even Know A Word Yet"

Ricky Bobby Praying At Dinner

It's safe to say that nobody has made saying grace before a meal quite as funny as Will Ferrell, despite the fact that it's been in many comedy movies. One of the funniest scenes in Talladega Nights is Ricky’s long and utterly ridiculous blessing at the dinner table, resulting in several hysterical Ricky Bobby quotes.

Ricky decides he can say grace to whichever version of Jesus he likes best, and for him, that’s the baby Jesus because it reminds him of Christmas. The prayer goes on to hilarious lengths as Ricky describes this infant version of Jesus he sees in his head. The scene only gets funnier when Ricky also insists Jesus had blonde hair and blue eyes, and that anyone at the table is allowed to pray to whichever version of Jesus they prefer.

5 "Tom Cruise, Use Your Witchcraft On Me To Get The Fire Off Me!"

Ricky Bobby Yells Into The Air

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Despite his crash being pretty horrific, Ricky escaped with little injury to his body. However, he doesn't realize this and busts out one of the funniest Ricky Bobby quotes, which was probably improvised by Ferrell. Ricky emerges from the wreck thinking he’s on fire and proceeds to run around the racetrack in his underwear screaming to any god he can think of to save him.

This is, of course, made all the more hilarious by Ferell's delivery.

Though it's hard not to sympathize with Ricky in his state of panic, it is not a very dignified look. What makes the moment so hilarious though is when Ricky starts asking various deities of multiple religions to save him. It only gets worse when he can't think of any more gods and starts praying to Tom Cruise. This is, of course, made all the more hilarious by Ferell's delivery.

4 "If You Don't Chew Big Red, Then F*** You."

Ricky Bobby In A Commerical

Adam McKay skewers the overuse of advertisements in the racing industry while highlighting Ricky Bobby's character, and the NASCAR drivers lust for corporate sponsorship also makes for some of the best quotes in Talladega Nights. Another highlight of the movie comes with the many ads Ricky churns out, which is also a creative bit of product placement.

As expected, these aren't typical ads nor does Ricky feel the need to keep them family-friendly. One of the funniest sequences in the entire film is a montage of some of the many TV ads Ricky Bobby has appeared in, with each endorsement more ridiculous than the last. By far the best and most outrageous ad comes from Ricky’s blunt selling of Big Red chewing gum. As crazy as the previous ads were, this one still takes the audience by surprise. Ferrell’s deadpan delivery sells it even more.

3 "It Won The Academy Award… Best Movie Ever Made."

Ricky Bobby To Jean Gerard

The rivalry between Ricky Bobby and Jean Girard unfolds as many classic sports rivalries do. With two successful athletes competing against each other, only one can be the victor. This also reminds Ricky Bobby of a film he apparently has a lot of love for. When Girard points out that only one of them can be the champion, Ricky says that this is very similar to The Highlander.

Ricky insists it is great and the winner of the prestigious Oscar for "Best Movie of All-Time."

Girard has never seen it, but Ricky insists it is great and the winner of the prestigious Oscar for "Best Movie of All-Time." Of course, this is not an actual Oscar category. While it's a subtle joke, it's made all the funnier by the fact that, of all the movies out there, The Highlander is among Ricky Bobby's favorites. While it's not a bad movie it is a relatively obscure one and not on many people's lists of the greatest films, so to have Bobby hold it in such high regard is yet another layer to the absurdity of his character.

Related 10 Comedy Movies That Serious Directors Surprisingly Loved As surprising as it may seem, even the most intense directors love to unwind every now and then with Zoolander, Borat, Big Daddy, and other comedies.

2 "I Wake Up In The Morning And I P*** Excellence."

Ricky Bobby To The Press

Of all the hilarious Ricky Bobby quotes that stem from his beyond-overinflated ego, his description of his morning routine is without a doubt the funniest. Will Ferrell excels at playing obnoxiously arrogant men, though few come close to his Talladega Nights character when it comes to arrogance. Though Ricky Bobby may have started out as a somewhat timid pit crew member, his quick rise in the sport helped him develop a pretty big opinion of himself.

This declaration of his greatness is a perfect display of why Ricky Bobby needed a little humbling. Ricky Bobby says this while being interviewed early on in the film after winning a race, preceded by "Here's the deal, I'm the best there is." Again, it doesn’t really mean anything, but he sure says it with a lot of confidence.

1 "I'm Not Sure What To Do With My Hands."

Ricky Bobby Talking To The Press

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Will Ferrell and Adam McKay love making their characters look stupid, and it's this passion that makes Talladega Nights so memorable as it takes the pairs penchant for buffoonery to the extreme. Though he may be a good driver, Ricky is a screw-up in basically every other area of his life. His funniest blunder comes when he does his first on-camera interview as a racer. It’s such a funny moment, not only because of the ridiculousness but also because it’s relatable.

Anyone who has had the spotlight on them and becomes a bit self-conscious can relate to Ricky’s awkward moment, as he declares after doing a weird bit that he doesn't know what to do with his hands. This is, of course, also accompanied by some ridiculously awkward hand-gestures from Ferrell, showing that he's just as good at physical comedy as he is verbal delivery.

Why Ricky Bobby Is So Underrated

While Ricky Bobby quotes are memorable when it comes to Will Ferrell's full roster of hysterical characters the Talladega Nights protagonist flies largely under the radar. Movies like Anchorman and Step Brothers are at the forefront of audiences' minds when they think about Adam McKay and Will Ferrell's most famous collaborations, and even iconic Will Ferrell characters. Viewers are much more likely to quote the hysterical Ron Burgundy from Anchorman when asked about their favorite Ferrell quotes, as this was the role that arguably rocketed the comedian to stardom. Nonetheless, Ricky Bobby is a classic Ferrell caricature that's wholly underrated by the fanbase.

Funnily enough, audiences should be spouting out the best Talladega Nights quotes if the popularity of Ferrell's characters were reflected by box office returns, as the film out-earned both Anchorman and Step Brothers. While Anchorman's popularity spawned a sequel, Talladega Nights made $163.3 million at the box office worldwide, whereas Anchorman made only $90.7 million and Step Brothers $128.1 million. Granted, Anchorman 2 made more money than Talladega Nights did, but a lot more people saw Ricky Bobby in theaters initially than they did Ron Burgundy or Brennan Huff. For whatever reason, however, Ricky Bobby remains one of the most underrated Will Ferrell characters.