The song tells the stories of two characters, Jerry, an ill-fated race car driver who collides with a telephone pole while driving intoxicated (hence the use of "was", in the title) and Captain Pearce, a retired fireman.

"Jerry Was a Race Car Driver" was the fourth Primus single, after "John the Fisherman", "Too Many Puppies" and " Mr. Knowitall" from the 1989 live album Suck on This and 1990's debut studio release Frizzle Fry.

[3] The song features a sample of Bill Moseley's character Chop Top from the film The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, chuckling to himself then remarking: "Dog will hunt!"

The rest of the video cuts between scenes of the band playing an out-of-control gig in a small club (Phoenix Theater in Petaluma, California), closeup shots of the fallen nachos, and race car footage.

AllMusic writer Steve Huey thought that the song "established Primus as a freewheelingly unorthodox hard rock band with a memorable, utterly distinctive sound".