‘Dear Lord Baby Jesus!’ NASCAR driver buys Charlotte-area villa from ‘Talladega Nights’

Less than a week before his final race, NASCAR driver Kevin Harvick and his wife bought their forever home: A Lake Norman mansion that hosted one of Hollywood’s iconic dinner scenes, from the classic Will Ferrell sports comedy, “Talladega Nights.”

On Oct. 30, Harvick and his wife, DeLana Harvick, paid $6.75 million for the Cornelius mansion in the 17200 block of Connor Quay Court, Mecklenburg County public records show.

The Charlotte Business Journal first reported the sale of the Cornelius mansion.

The Harvicks bought the mansion from Dan and Judith Moore.

In March, when the Moores listed their mansion for sale, Dan Moore told The Charlotte Observer he was a big fan of the 2006 “Talladega Nights” movie.

Yet he never knew the home that they purchased in 2018 hosted the famous “Dear Lord Baby Jesus” scene in the film, Moore said.

He learned of the mansion’s memorable film setting only after the $4 million purchase of the home, Moore said.

The sole feature the couple saved when they redid the 12,000-square-foot mansion was the fireplace. It’s the same as it was in the movie when Ricky and his family sit for Thanksgiving dinner, Moore said.

“99% has changed,” he said of the interior of the mansion.

The couple listed the home for sale to move closer to their son and grandchildren in Huntersville, Dan Moore said at the time.

The Moores put the six-bedroom home on the market for $9.9 million, according to its listing by Realtor Kandi Lowe of RE/MAX Executive.

Mansion’s 2 docks attracted couple

The Moores bought the mansion a year after Dan Moore sold his Moore Freight Service Inc. The company transports crated and uncrated flat glass via flatbed trucks, to Texas-based flatbed transportation leader Daseke Inc., mergr.com reported at the time.

The mansion’s two docks were among the features that first attracted the couple to the home, as was the outdoor putting green, Moore said. He liked fishing off the floating dock, and his grand kids have enjoyed jet skiing there.

Built in 2002, the home is perched on 1.3 acres in a private gated community and has views of the sunrise and sunset.

The living room of the home features a Bocra chandelier made in only two places in the world, according to the listing. An 8-foot gold medallion surrounds the chandelier to match the front door.

A gourmet kitchen includes a Wolf stove, double ovens, two dishwashers and built-in charging stations on the island.

A full bar, projector screen and dart board highlight an entertainment room, while wine is stored beneath the main stairs, according to the listing.

Moore said he had a third-floor chapel built in former attic space and an outdoor French courtyard constructed to replace a basketball court.

A panic room in the home has six-inch-thick steel doors and its own heating and air conditioning units and phone line. He stores his collection of 30 guns in the room, he said.

“NASCAR Row” neighbors

The Moores decided to keep the Ricky Bobby fireplace when they renovated the mansion.

They live on “NASCAR Row,” for one, Dan Moore said.

Former open wheel driving great Billy Boat lives across from him, Moore said. Neighbors down the street include NASCAR Hall of Fame team owner Joe Gibbs and NASCAR engine builder Doug Yates, president and CEO of RoushYates Manufacturing Solutions.

And the Hollywood dinner scene in “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby,” for two, Moore said.

“How many times,” he said when asked if he’d seen the movie, meaning he’d watched it so many times he couldn’t count the number.

Famous scene

In one memorable scene filmed in the home, Ricky says grace before everyone dives into a home-cooked dinner of fast-food take out.

Ricky starts the prayer with “Dear Lord Baby Jesus” and then, “Dear tiny Jesus, in your golden-fleece diapers, with your tiny, little, fat, balled-up fists ... ” before he is interrupted by the character Chip, played by Ted Manson.

“He was a man! He had a beard!” Chip says.

“Look, I like the baby version the best, do you hear me? I win the races and I get the money.”

“Ricky, finish the damn grace,” says his wife, Carley Bobby, played by Leslie Bibb.

Moore repeated a different famous Ricky Bobby line from the film.

“If you’re not first, you’re last,” he said.