UNC Charlotte brothers return Ricky Bobby’s Wonderbread car to racing shape
The Garage Shop in Newton, N.C., completed a restoration for the International Motorsports Hall of Fame to display the prop at Talladega Superspeedway.
By Harvey Wilson ·
The Wonderbread Car from the movie Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby is back in racing condition after a twenty-year hiatus. The restoration was completed by The Garage Shop in Newton, North Carolina, which received the commission from the International Motorsports Hall of Fame. The car will be displayed at Talladega Superspeedway during the NASCAR Cup Series YellaWood 500.
The shop is led by brothers Spencer and Tony Brown, both current or recent students at UNC Charlotte. Spencer Brown, a 2019 graduate in mechanical engineering, is pursuing a master's in electromechanical engineering. He serves as the lead engineer at the firm. Tony Brown, a doctoral candidate in business administration, acts as the controller. The two manage the company alongside their father, Aaron Brown, who founded the business in 2011 after building race cars for three decades.
The prop arrived in poor condition after sitting in a Hall of Fame lobby for two decades. It would not start, the roof was damaged, and the original shifter knob had been stolen. The vehicle is one of only two original cars used during the film's production and features authentic camera mounts and a note from actor Will Ferrell. Spencer Brown described the car as a mess upon arrival but noted that the restoration was not the most technically challenging job the shop had taken on.
The brothers have different professional backgrounds that inform their roles at The Garage Shop. Spencer grew up in Catawba, North Carolina, near NASCAR Hall of Famer Bobby Isaacs. He began working for his father at age sixteen and spent nearly a decade working as a mechanic for NASCAR Cup Series, Xfinity Series, and ARCA teams. He returned to UNC Charlotte in 2016 to complete his degree in three years while continuing to work at the shop.
Tony spent his youth abroad with his mother, an IAEA nuclear inspector, living in Finland, Germany, and Austria. He played rugby for the Austrian Under-18 National Team before returning to North Carolina in 2017. He earned a bachelor's degree and an MBA from Queens University of Charlotte before enrolling in the DBA program at UNC Charlotte in 2024.
The partnership between the brothers shifted when their father stepped back due to health issues two years ago. They split responsibilities evenly to fill the leadership void. Spencer manages projects and garage operations, while Tony oversees finances, payroll, and process improvements. They now operate from a recently opened 15,000-square-foot facility. Tony Brown said their different perspectives provide a larger view of projects, while Spencer Brown noted that the arrangement has strengthened their bond.
The restoration has generated public interest that the owners did not anticipate. Spencer Brown observed that the project blew up in popularity, with many people asking if the car was the real Ricky Bobby vehicle. The shop maintains a cabinet in its lobby filled with toy cars, each representing a real race car restored by the company. The team views the Wonderbread Car as a unique opportunity to preserve a piece of pop culture history for another twenty years.
