(Photo: ESPN)Pastor Joe Nelms of Family Baptist Church in Gladeville, Tenn., gives the invocation at a NASCAR event Saturday. He thanked God for the cars and for his "smokin' hot wife."
A prayer by Pastor Joe Nelms thanking God for his “smokin’ hot wife” during the invocation at a NASCAR event in Nashville has more than just race fans buzzing.
Nelms, a pastor at Family Baptist Church in Gladeville, Tenn., and obviously a race fan, was asked to give the invocation at Nationwide Federated Auto Parts 300 on Saturday. His prayer, which included praise for just about all-things racing, caught many by surprise.
“Heavenly Father, we thank you for all your blessings. You said in all things give thanks. So we want to thank you tonight for these mighty machines that you brought before us. Thank you for the Dodges and the Toyotas,” Nelms prayed before the crowd at the Nashville Superspeedway.
“Thank you for the Fords … Thank you for GM performance technology … and Goodyear Tires that bring performance and power to the track,” he continued.
“Lord, I want to thank you for my smokin' hot wife tonight, Lisa, and my two children, Eli and Emma, or as we like to call the ‘The Little E's.’”
Nelms inclusion of “my smokin’ hot wife” is a line from the movie “Talladega Nights.”
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He ended his prayer: “In Jesus' name, boogity boogity boogity, Amen.”
Reports from those in attendance at the speedway say the crowd roared and many race fans were sent into hysterics during the conclusion of the prayer. A video of the invocation shows drivers chuckling with heads bowed.
Reaction to the prayer has been mostly positive. Race winner Carl Edwards told The Tennessean that he appreciated Nelms’ humor in the prayer.
“I turned to Jack (Roush) after that. I said, ‘If anything happens, I want him to be at my funeral.’ That was one of the best invocations I have ever heard,” Edwards said.
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