NASCAR Pastor Thanks God for his "Smokin' Hot Wife"--Among Other Things

Pastor Joe Nelms

Here at Legal Schnauzer, we are not big fans of auto racing, and we tend to seek spiritual nourishment away from the Baptist church. But Joe Nelms, pastor of Family Baptist Church in Nashville, gave the pre-race invocation at a NASCAR event Saturday night and proved that he is our kind of guy.

Heck, I'd almost like to drive three hours north to Nashville and hear Pastor Joe preach some Sunday morning. Nelms brought a touch of light-hearted irreverence to a usually reverent moment. Let's hope the Big Guy has a sense of humor, because this is one pastor who knows how to have fun.

Before the drivers revved up their engines, Nelms brought down the house at the Nationwide Federated Autoparts 300. He thanked the Almighty for:

* "The mighty machines you brought before us" and "all the Dodges, Toyotas, and the Fords"

* "GM performance technology"

* "Sunoco racing fuel"

* "Goodyear tires that bring performance and power to the track"

* "My smokin' hot wife"

Social-media sites already are calling it "the best prayer ever." Nelms apparently was inspired by the Will Ferrell flick Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, which has its roots firmly planted in Alabama. Pastor Joe closed his prayer with a classic line from NASCAR Hall of Famer Darrell Waltrip . . . "in Jesus' name, boogity, boogity, boogity, Amen."

NASCAR drivers loved it. Wrote The Nashville Tennessean:

Race winner Carl Edwards appreciated the humor that came with Nelms’ prayer.

“I turned to Jack (Roush) after that. I said, ‘If anything happens, I want him to be at my funeral.’"

You can check out Pastor Joe's invocation below. I agree with Carl Edwards--who, like yours truly, is a native Missourian, by the way--I want this guy at my funeral: