Most of the house has been changed from the movie but its famous dining room fireplace remains.
NASCAR driver Kevin Harvick retired from full-time racing earlier this month, ending a sensational career with 60 wins, including the Daytona 500, Coca-Cola 600, and the 2014 Cup Series Championship. Harvick walks away from racing with a career that most drivers can only dream of. And yet only now can Harvick wake up in the morning and piss excellence because he now lives in Ricky Bobby’s house.
Harvick recently bought the North Carolina lakeside mansion used in Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, for $6.75 million. Considering the house itself—12,000 square feet, six bedrooms, nine bathrooms, a pool, and its Lake Norman location—and its famous movie tie-in, I think Harvick got a good deal. Plus, the ability to say grace to the dear Lord baby Jesus in front of the same fireplace as Ricky Bobby is priceless. Although, I like to think of my Jesus singing lead vocals for Lynard Skynard.
Ironically, that fireside dining room is essentially the only part of the house that’s movie-faithful. The previous owners, Dan and Judith Moore, renovated the entire house but kept the fireplace room the same. Moore told the Charlotte Observer that “99% has changed,” when the house was first listed for sale at $9.9 million. So Harvick shaved a couple million dollars off the original asking price.
When the Moores first bought the house for $4 million in 2018, they didn’t know that it was used in the movie. It was only after moving in that they learned of its stardom and became fans. Harvick, however, was likely a fan of the movie before buying the mansion, as NASCAR has been incredibly receptive to it since its 2006 release. Give it up to NASCAR for having a good sense of humor about being playfully lampooned by Will Ferrel and John C. Reilly.
I’m not sure if Harvick has any plans for renovations or modifications to the house. However, I do hope he keeps any remaining portraits of the Moores up on the wall and replaces only their heads with those of his own family. He’s also going to have to learn how to use the hot tub, with its many buttons, and make sure the house isn’t still haunted. Once he does that, though, he’s free to make his family all of the really, really thin pancakes they want (he can’t call ’em crepes because these colors don’t run), and enjoy the house where one of Christopher Nolan’s favorite comedies was shot.
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