'Legend of Hallowdega' explores race track's lore

David Arquette may have made headlines recently for his home life but this weekend, NASCAR fans will be buzzing about why the celebrity is sporting a gnarly mustache and running around the Talladega infield like a lunatic.

Baffled? Understandable, but the actor has gone from the set of Scream 4 to NASCAR country at the behest of Monty Python's Terry Gilliam to do a short film on the legend that surrounds the seemingly haunted Talladega Superspeedway.

Haunted 'Dega

Explore the mysteries of the track down South in the short film, 'Legend of Talladega.'

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The short is called Legend of Hallowdega and takes viewers on a journey with Arquette and friends as they reveal the mystery of the track rumored to have been built on a sacred Indian burial ground.

Is that true?

"It seems to be kind of true," said Arquette, who plays an eccentric ghost buster in the film. "It's on the Internet ... there are some interesting stories behind it and you get a really eerie feeling out there, it definitely has that quality about it."

NASCAR historian Buz McKim says local legend says it is built on the burial ground, but some folks think it was just a great PR hoax.

According to officials, the speedway was built on an "unassuming stretch of land suited for soybean farming located next to a couple of abandoned airport runways." The airport was first used by the military after World War II.

Nevertheless, the comedy will ultimately reveal one of the true mysteries behind why so many wrecks occur at the speedway with insight from drivers like Darrell Waltrip and Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Arquette may not be the most versed in NASCAR but he loves racing and more than that, idolizes the film's director, Terry Gilliam.

"I saw Time Bandits 25 times as a kid," Arquette said. "I came back day after day to see it. Terry is such a one-of-a-kind artist with such a unique vision that I didn't even have to read the script when he called me."

Arquette, known for mainly comedic roles, was just glad he even called in the first place.

"I have no idea why he picked me, I didn't even know he was aware of my acting abilities," Arquette laughed.

But if you NASCAR fans out there are expecting Arquette and a red carpet in the infield somewhere -- don't. Arquette has to take his daughter trick-or-treating, but he hopes everyone enjoys the final product.

The film will premiere on Sunday with the first chapter to debut on ESPN just prior to the start of the Amp Energy Juice 500.