NASCAR turned IndyCar driver Jimmie Johnson is an avid cyclist, and one time during a charity ride he was doing with IndyCar star Tony Kanaan, Johnson introduced his Chip Ganassi Racing teammate to Uncrustables — the Smucker’s peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with bread that famously lacks the crust.
“I’m starving in the middle of the ride, and Jimmie pulls out of his pocket an Uncrustable snack, which I never knew [of] — which, for people that don’t know — because I’m bloody Brazilian,” Kanaan explained in a video his team published in April. (Johnson and Kanaan are sharing the No. 48 Honda this season.)
“It was a peanut butter and jelly [sandwich] that he actually freezes in the freezer, puts it in his pocket, and during the ride, it unfreezes and you can just eat. And since then, I eat that thing — it’s so many calories, but anyway — every time I open that thing, it reminds me of Jimmie.”
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Well, Kanaan isn’t the only IndyCar driver discovering an unknown love for Uncrustables. Others are too, and their reactions are delightfully pure.
Take Scott McLaughlin, the 28-year-old Team Penske driver from Australia and New Zealand who’s become a rising star as an IndyCar rookie this year. And as he learns more and more about the U.S., he’s sharing his experiences and reactions with his fans with the hashtag #ScottLearnsAmerica.
McLaughlin’s latest checked-off to-do item was an Uncrustables sandwich, which he said was “unreal”. (Other things on his checklist include going to Walmart, Waffle House, an NFL tailgate and Yellowstone National Park.)
This thing was unreal omg. ✅ #ScottLearnsAmerica pic.twitter.com/mhGltNjb6x
— Scott McLaughlin (@smclaughlin93) June 24, 2021
After noticing Kanaan’s and McLaughlin’s reactions to trying Uncrustables for the first time, Alex Palou decided to see what the big deal is.
Palou — Johnson and Kanaan’s 24-year-old Chip Ganassi Racing teammate from Barcelona who’s currently at the top of the IndyCar standings — was similarly “blown away.”
Taste test update ⬇️
It was my first time combining Peanut Butter & Jelly (we don’t eat that much PB in Spain) and I’m blown away. This thing is amazing. 😳
The hype is real! 🙌@smuckers @Uncrustables https://t.co/uSZhcdbGAM
— Alex Palou Montalbo (@AlexPalou) June 25, 2021
But no matter how much Kanaan, McLaughlin or Palou love Uncrustables, the sandwich’s biggest fan in motor sports has to be NASCAR driver Alex Bowman, Johnson’s former Hendrick Motorsports teammate in the Cup Series.
Bowman absolutely adores Uncrustables, and he eats and talks about them all the time. Hilariously, his crew chief, Greg Ives, once described him as his “uncrustable eating wheel man”.
And after winning his first race of the 2021 NASCAR season in April at Richmond Raceway, his sponsor, Ally Financial, helped him celebrate with boxes on boxes of Uncrustables.
So obviously, Bowman was pretty pumped to see IndyCar drivers jumping on the bandwagon.
Welcome to the dark side 😈 https://t.co/Nz1AjnBUIi pic.twitter.com/A6LUdX24wd
— Alex Bowman (@Alex_Bowman) June 24, 2021
Maybe more IndyCar drivers will discover Uncrustables and a new favorite snack.
“You should try it straight out of the freezer,” Johnson said to Kanaan in the Chip Ganassi Racing video. “It’s like a dessert then.”
“OK, here we go,” Kanaan replied, joking that his kids now love Uncrustables too and blaming Johnson.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWC7M1ap6jg
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