Convo: Chris Tucker

As NASCAR's love affair with the bright lights of Hollywood continues to flourish, more and more big-name stars are making their way to the track.

A testament of the budding relationship came when the 20-million-per-film-actor Chris Tucker, promoting his new movie Rush Hour 3, out Friday, arrived at Pocono Raceway this past Sunday.

In true Tucker fashion, the comedian and actor had plenty to say about the sport of NASCAR and how things would go down if he was behind the wheel.

Q: We haven't seen you around the track before have we? Is this your first race?

Tucker: This is my second time and it's a lot of fun. I think I want to be a driver now. I'm giving up acting and I'm going to be one of the first black drivers of NASCAR.

Q: It's also been awhile since you've made a movie ... thoughts?

Tucker: Yeah I learned that Hollywood really uses people up quickly so I don't worry about how many movies I'm doing.

Q: More and more, NASCAR is making connections in Hollywood and appearing in movies, taking the sport to a new level. NASCAR executives are continually integrating drivers and storylines into every form of entertainment imaginable. What do you think about the fit?

Tucker: I think it's great because it targets new fans and new movie goers. It really gets the word out to new people on both sides.

Q: I'm not going to pretend you're knowledge of the sport is vast, but who is your favorite driver anyway?

Tucker: Hey who is that guy we met today, Jeff Gordon? Yeah, him ... he's bad!

Q: What was the first NASCAR race you attended?

Tucker: I went to Daytona. It was a lot of fun.

Q: How does Pocono compare to Daytona? Are you surprised by how big these events are?

Tucker: Yeah, because at Daytona I just went straight to the stands so I didn't go behind the scenes to see how special it is, you know, in the trailer. I just got a real good tour so now I'm really into it. I see how they have two cars, they bring two cars and how it takes so much to function these cars and make this work.

Q: In the Rush Hour movies, your co-star Jackie Chan does some pretty cool stunts. Have you ever done any of your own stunts or driving stunts?

Tucker: Little bit, little bit. Sometimes I try to push it to the limit on some of the movie sets. They let me do certain things and then they stop me because they don't want to see me get hurt. I try, because Jackie Chan, working with him, if I don't do my own stunts he'll start talking about you.

Q: If you were a NASCAR driver, what kind of driver would you be?

Tucker: I'd be patient. I'd probably be last every race because I'm not gonna wreck. I'm not wrecking, I'm going to look pretty.

Q: If you were a NASCAR driver, who would your sponsor be and why?

Tucker: My sponsor would be, if I was a driver, Jet Magazine. You know because they're like the first and the oldest black magazine. It's cool, you gotta be on Jet if you're black. (Continued)