Chevy Notes - Racing Stripes featuring Jeff Gordon

      CHEVROLET NOTES & QUOTES

NASCAR NEXTEL CUP SERIES

BASS PRO SHOPS MBNA- "Racing Stripes"

ATLANTA MOTOR SPEEDWAY

October 30, 2004

 

WARNER BROS. PICTURES NEW FILM, RACING STRIPES, AND CHEVY DRIVER, JEFF GORDON, HELP VICTORY JUNCTION GANG AND ATLANTA SPEEDWAY CHARITIES.

 

PRESS CONFERENCE HIGHLIGHTS:

 

BRODERICK JOHNSON, PRODUCER OF RACING STRIPES, CO-PRESIDENT AND CO-FOUNDER OF ALCON, ENT.  "I just wanted to say how pleased we are to be associated with Jeff Gordon and NASCAR as well as the family values the film portrays as well as the organizations you represent.  We are happy to be affiliated with all you guys.  We love family films.  The last film we did was My Dog Skip.  That portrayed some of the values we like to see. We think this movie will be fun and appeal to a broad audience as well.  When we decided to make the film and the first two people we thought of when we were getting ready to cast Buzz and Scuzz, the two horseflys that have been hanging around the track living off of track food which has kept them alive all this time was David (Spade) and Steve (Harvey). These guys have been great and done everything we have ask them to do.  It has taken us about two years to complete this film.  They just get in a room together and just sort of play off one another. It has been one of the pleasures about making the film."

 

JEFF GORDON: "There are several reasons that I got to be a part of this movie and this promotion. One is I actually did want the stripes on the race car I was racing this weekend because I guess the stripes are meant to confuse the predators that are after you.  I would love to do anything to get out there and confuse my competition. It is a movie that is a lot of fun. It's really something for all ages.  I certainly know the kids are going to love it but I think everyone of any age will really enjoy it as well.  I think adults are going to enjoy taking their kids to the movie and be a part of it.

 

"I got a chance to hear about the movie, the message which is to really get out there and overcome adversity that with enough desire you can live out your dreams.  I don't want to give too much away about the movie but it is a great message, a great inspiration and certainly plays a great role in what we do out there on the racetrack.   

      

"The most important part of why I wanted to be a part of it is because they are focused on many children's charities.  It is awesome to have them here at Atlanta Motor Speedway to have them focused on Speedway Children's Charities. Victory Junction Gang Camp is going to benefit through the Jeff Gordon Foundation with what we have been doing over the last several years since I formed the Jeff Gordon Foundation. We have worked to increase awareness out there so that little boys and girls like this pursue their dreams and to be able to have healthy lives and to be able to go out there and put smiles on their faces.  Victory Junction Gang Camp has certainly been doing that in many ways and we are proud to be associated with them through our Foundation.  More importantly we are excited to be associated with Racing Stripes, the movie we are talking about here today.

 

"It is something that I encourage everyone to go out and see and have fun with Steve Harvey being here.  He plays Buzz and his buddy Scuzz will absolutely keep you in stitches.  These guys are so great and they are so much fun.  I know there are a lot of great moments in the movie that people are going to enjoy but these guys just capped it off. 

 

"We are going to unveil the car in a few moments.  I want to thank everyone for coming out here today.  Go see the movie.  We have a clip we are going to watch here to give you an idea of what the movie is about.  Well, as you can see, now you see what the tie is with the movie and what we do here out here on the weekends and why we are a part of it."

 

STEVE HARVEY: "It is hard to come to a race track and follow Jeff Gordon.  You can tell by my attire that I don't belong here at all. They said we were coming to a promotion for the movie, nobody said we were going to come to a real racetrack and be out here with Jeff so me and my entire crew are dressed like pimps. Never wanted a t-shirt badder in my entire life than I do today. When I first got the call to do the movie, I was ashamed you know. Being a celebrity with a big ego you know you want your face out there and when they said I was going to be a horsefly in the movie, I thought what would I do that for? Then after watching you all laughing at the clip, I am the horsefly with the Blue Eyes. Yea, that is me. 

       

"You know, like Jeff said, this is the fist film I ever have done for kids.  I been on HBO a lot and I said a lot of crazy stuff with a microphone but being a father of five kids, it is important that I do something before I get too old that I can be proud of and my kids can be proud of and watch.  And then when me and my wife go to church, I don't have to hide from the Minister.  Normally when service is over I just go get in my car cause I really don't want to hear what he has to say about my last set of jokes.

 

So this is really great to working with, as Jeff pointed out, the kids and the foundation he has.  I think this "Dude" is really out of site. I think NASCAR is really big.  You know, you travel on the road and you see all them RV and I didn't know who was buying all them and you go, 'Heh, who owns one of them big things.' Well, a quarter of a million people want one and I don't know what ya 'all going to be doin with ya'all's spare time but I'm openin' up me a bus company.  I'm going to be selling buses and RVs.

 

I ain't never seen this much stuff in my life.  I didn't know what this NASCAR thing was all about. I am going to tell you, I am coming to some more of these things. This is my first NASCAR event; this is a pretty amazing thing for me.  I tell ya, I do need some earplugs.    I am going to go out here and get involved and I am going to get me some of those shirts with a logo on it and get me some jeans and just get out there in the middle of it.  And if I can just wear my hats, I'll be cool.  As long as I can wear a brim instead of a baseball cap, I'll be fine.

 

The movie is just out of site and just plain fun.  Me and David Spade had a ball filming it. Whoopi Goldberg is in it, Dustin Hoffman is in it but they wouldn't let us around people like that so we shot our scenes totally separate.  We did the whole movie and never saw any of those people.  I never knew they were in the movie until I got here today.  Just get out to the theaters, take your kids, it is family entertainment.  Everybody can enjoy it. 

 

 

"I think it will be one of those great projects you can do with your kids.  You know like I have a seven year old and we have watched Shrek like 18 times.  They can watch it over and over and over and eventually, you kinda get to like it   This is just one of those movies and it is great and I am glad to be here with Jeff and all he represents.  He is just one of those dudes who is so great with the community and all of those kids.

 

"But this business you are in is a lot tougher than mine.  I have been booed before but I ain't never been never been run into a concrete wall. So I figure I can take a little booing but somebody runs me in a wall and I survive, there is going to be some problem in the pits cause the 'Black Dude' ain't going to act right on pit road I can tell that right now.  We might not be able to drive, but we can fight, I can tell ya that right now. We can be in the title fight.  I think I better stop now cause that is all the clean jokes I got.  Thank you all very much.

 

JEFF GORDON SPEAKS AGAIN - "I just want to know where it was you guys thought you were going that you thought it was ok to wear the pimp suits.  I want to wear one but I want to know where I gotta go to wear one."

 

JEFF GORDON ONE-ON-ONE

"When they first brought me the film, I wasn't able to see if because of another commitment to do something for one of our sponsors so they showed it to members of my staff.  They told me I had to see this thing so a representative from Warner Brothers or Alcon flew to Talladega with a copy of the movie and sat in my bus with me and we watched it, then he took it out and left with it.  He protected that copy pretty well.

 

"But it was good to see it and I was happy that we were able to put it together with the show car and the uniform and the honorary pit crew.

 It is a one of a kind uniform and it is kind of fitting that Halloween is this weekend and I guess I will have to wear it for Halloween.  This is the kind of thing that just goes for this weekend, the press conference and promoting the film.

 

"I wish we could race the car but we are not able to because we didn't want to go to our other sponsors to ask them to move off and the cost of changing everything for another race.  We have done so much this year so we agreed that we could at least do the show car to be used in promotions and the uniform and the gloves tomorrow.  I can wear the gloves this weekend. We were able to Warner Brothers tied in with the track as well so we could do quite a bit for this weekend.  

 

"The proceeds from the premier of the movie will go to the Jeff Gordon Foundation and be distributed between the charities for the kids so it is a great deal for our Foundation and a fun project for all of us."