True Blood Concerns, Scary Crash Idle Stephen Moyer's Racing Career

True Blood star wins qualifying race in annual charity event despite rolling his vehicle; spooked actor withdrew from race day

By Gina Serpe Apr 18, 2011 3:47 PMTags

You'll be happy to hear there wasn't so much as a glimpse of diva-like behavior at this weekend's 35th annual Toyota Pro Celebrity Race this weekend. But that doesn't mean one of the NASCAR-channeling celebrity speed demons didn't flip out. Twice.

But it's not what you think—this wasn't any coddle-requiring hissy fit, instead True Blood star Stephen Moyer literally flipped his car multiple times while racing in the qualifying round Friday.

And we're not sure if this speaks more to his driving skills or his competitors' lack thereof, but he nonetheless managed to finish in pole position. Which no doubt was of little comfort to him the following day, when nerves (or maybe just bosses) got the better of him…

Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images

After his dramatic rolls—which came after Moyer crashed into a wall on the first turn, and from which, luckily, he emerged unscathed—the star still managed to place first in the practice run, earning him $15,000 for his charity of choice, Racing for Kids. Prison Break/Perfect Storm actor William Fichtner placed second and Kevin Jonas was a close third.

"It was a surreal experience—it felt like a roller coaster ride when my car flipped," Moyer told reporters after the race.

But from the sounds of it, and understandably, his car wasn't the only thing that was sent into a tailspin as a result.

Prior to Saturday's official race, Moyer was forced to withdraw from the charity competition, citing concerns by his cast—included among them, his wife Anna Paquin—for his well-being. To say nothing of his ability to continue working on the show without writers having to shoe horn in a storyline explaining why their leading man is suddenly in a full body cast.

Just a hunch.

"While I'm disappointed I won't be racing today, I know it's in the best interest of my True Blood family," he said. "I look forward to cheering on my fellow racers and following all the race-day action."

A man of his word, Moyer did indeed turn up to watch his fellow competitors battle it out for the win. In his absence, the sudden boost to pole position did wonders for Fichtner, who ended up winning the race with a time of 18:25.109.

So how did the other stars match up? Michael Trucco placed third, behind a pro, followed by Frankie Muniz; Kim Coates placed sixth, followed by Daniel Goddard and Brian Austin Green; Megyn Price rolled in and 11th place, followed by Tito Ortiz; despite his impressive qualifying round, Kevin Jonas fell to 13th place, Djimon Hounsou rolled in at 14th and Jillian Barberie Reynolds played caboose, coming in at 17th and last place.

In exchange for their participation, Toyota will donate $5,000 per racer to Racing for Kids, as well as an additional $5,000 to the Kyle Busch Foundation, the charity of choice for winner Fichtner.