DOT

By Cole Cusumano

At last, after decades of fans and many associated with NASCAR campaigning for a “Days of Thunder” sequel, it appears the reality of a reboot is indeed roaring to life. Gone are the delusions of false hope and unconfirmed rumors, as the early stages of development are clearly ramping up with confirmation from those within the sport.

Over the last handful of years, Tom Cruise has proven to be as relevant and impactful in the cinematic landscape as when he first burst onto the scene with “Risky Business” in 1983. After reviving the theatre-going experience with “Top Gun: Maverick” in 2022 and putting the finishing touches on his “Mission Impossible” saga in 2025, all signs point to him returning to reprise his role as the iconic Cole Trickle.

For those who don’t know, “Days of Thunder” was a motion picture released in 1990, centered around Cruise, who played a young hot-shot racer named Cole Trickle, intent on leaving his mark in NASCAR. Directed by Tony Scott (“Top Gun”) and produced by industry legend Jerry Bruckheimer, the film featured an elite lineup of actors such as Robert Duvall, Nicole Kidman, Randy Quaid and Michael Rooker, tackling themes still relevant to the sport today.

Upon its release, the film opened as the No. 1 movie in America, racking up $157.7 million worldwide on a $60 million budget and even garnering critical praise in the form of an Academy Award nomination for Best Sound.

On top of being one of the most recognizable and respected figures in Hollywood, Cruise has been notoriously praised for his work ethic and passion in the cinema space. Not to mention, he’s an incredibly intelligent businessman when it comes to movie-going.

The bottom line is, when Cruise speaks regarding cinema, people should listen.

Dating back to the 2025 Daytona 500, long-time friend of Cruise and NASCAR legend Jeff Gordon has all but confirmed the likelihood of a “Days of Thunder” sequel, going on record and sharing details of recent conversations with the Hollywood superstar.

“I’m seeing just a lot more momentum in projects like (“Days of Thunder”) coming through NASCAR and coming to Hendrick Motorsports,” Gordon said in February 2025. “So that’s good, right? It says a lot about where the sport is at and where it’s heading.

“I’ve absolutely talked to Tom (Cruise) about it because I want him to do the project, and we want to be a part of it. He seems to like to tease it … We’ll see what happens.”

The most significant piece of news came from two-time NASCAR Cup Series Champion, Kyle Busch, this March at Las Vegas (Nev.) Motor Speedway. The driver nicknamed “Rowdy,” after the fictional character Rowdy Burns in “Days of Thunder,” revealed he had been in discussions with a screenwriter for the sequel about potential plotlines.

As reported by Adam Stern at Sports Business Journal, Will Staples is the writer currently attached to the project and he’s been traveling the NASCAR circuit to start the 2026 season with the intention of developing a plot for the future feature film.

“I’ve had a chance to speak with a writer a couple times about some of the ideas and whatnot,” Busch said. “So that’s been pretty fun and interesting (hearing) what the concept may or may not be. We’re certainly looking forward to it and seeing it come to fruition.”

Two weeks after Busch dropped this bombshell news, Gordon was once again asked about the prospects of a “Days of Thunder” sequel, following Hendrick Motorsports’ and Chase Elliott’s win at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway.

“I don’t have any new updates or insight,” Gordon said. “I just assume that whatever was taking place was building a storyline or some characters … Maybe some sort of a pitch to some studios. I don’t really know a whole lot more other than that. I’m certainly optimistic and hopeful.

“I saw Tom (Cruise) one or two years ago. He actually brought it up then. We were just laughing a bit, then he said, ‘No, I’m serious, this is going to happen.’ When Tom Cruise says that, you take it seriously. That would be exciting to see the sport to be able to be a part of that.”

There are many reasons why a “Days of Thunder” revival makes sense, which prompted a handful of current drivers to sound off on their excitement and the importance of NASCAR making its long-awaited return to the silver screen.

Unanimously, the common themes most every racer spoke on were the powers of exposure in Hollywood and the ability to depict the sport in a way that legitimizes it with a more serious tone.

The last time NASCAR went Hollywood was all the way back in 2006 with “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby.” While the film featuring legendary comedic duo Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly was a massive success, it showcased the sport in a satirical light that most outsiders took as reality for the highest form of stock car racing.

While “Days of Thunder” may not be entirely accurate in terms of the competition element, it has been long praised by fans of NASCAR and those within the industry for its serious nature, and even being ahead of its time in tackling themes relevant in the sport today, such as concussions.

“I think anytime you can get more exposure for our sport … it would be huge,” Christopher Bell of Joe Gibbs Racing said. “One thing I appreciated about ‘Days of Thunder’ was it was taken a little bit more seriously. As a kid growing up, I loved ‘Talladega Nights,’ and I thought it was hilarious, but then the older I got and the more into the sport I got, I realized that the general public kind of took that as reality and not the comedy that it was.”

“ I think just having some legitimacy in the cinema space with what we do would be awesome,” two-time Daytona 500 Champion William Byron added. “‘Talladega Nights’ obviously had its moments and it was really funny, but it was kind of joking about the sport. I feel like exposing the more serious part of the sport and what we go through would be important.”

While the merits of how the sport is showcased can always be debated, what can not is the power of exposure in Hollywood.

Regardless of what people’s opinions are on “Talladega Nights,” it still opened as the No. 1 movie in America at $47 million and wound up grossing $163 million worldwide by the end of its theatrical run.

For those keeping track, that’s just two NASCAR motion pictures released in the span of 35 years, both of which were box office successes. Additionally, the appetite for motorsports movies in general has only grown.

Last year, “F1: The Movie” pulled exceptional numbers, opening to $57 million and amassing $634 million worldwide. The film featuring Brad Pitt was also a massive critical success, winning an Academy Award for Best Sound and racking up four total nominations, including Best Picture.

Even going back to 2019, the film “Ford v Ferrari” grossed $225.5 million worldwide, winning two Academy Awards for Best Film Editing and Best Sound Editing, also scoring a total of four nominations, including Best Picture.

As for Cruise’s impact in the cinematic landscape, his crowning achievement to this point is the release of a sequel to the 1986 classic “Top Gun” in 2022. Regarded as one of the greatest sequels and films of all-time, Cruise and “Top Gun: Maverick” are frequently credited with reviving the theatre-going experience, following the hit it took from the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Top Gun: Maverick” grossed $1.495 billion worldwide in 2022, was the highest-grossing domestic release at $718.7 million (fifth all-time) and is the highest-grossing film of Cruise’s illustrious 40-year career. It also received six Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, winning for Best Sound.

With all of these numbers from “Talladega Nights” to “Top Gun: Maverick” in mind, it is absolutely paramount for NASCAR to make its return to Hollywood for the first time in 20 years, and a “Days of Thunder” sequel would be how the sport takes a massive leap to the next level of being mainstream.

Beyond Cruise’s on-screen presence, the tandem of he and producer Bruckheimer has proven to be a winning combination. The pair previously worked together on both “Top Gun” films, as well as “Days of Thunder.” Bruckheimer also recently produced the wildly successful “F1: The Movie.”

“ I think, when I look at our sport and its ability to be mainstream, you can never dismiss the power that Hollywood has to either help increase our brand, or in some cases, hurt our brand,” former NASCAR champion Brad Keselowski said. “‘Days of Thunder,’ to me, did a lot for our brand as a sport. I think my impression of that group – Paramount Pictures, Jerry Bruckheimer and Tom Cruise – is that anything they do for the sport will carry it in a positive light, and that’s something that I can get behind.”

More than an actor, Cruise has an exceptional pulse on cinema. With NASCAR becoming a common subject of mainstream media in 2026, courtesy of 23XI Racing and Michael Jordan’s successful start to the season, there is no better time than right now to get “Days of Thunder” rebooted.

Nothing is confirmed, outside of the early stages of development, but this writer will be keeping a close eye on the festivities leading up to NASCAR’s debut at the San Diego Street Course on the weekend of June 21.

The sport will be racing at Naval Base Coronado, where “Top Gun: Maverick” was filmed. With Cruise having ties to the military base and NASCAR, it would be a prime opportunity to officially announce specifics on a “Days of Thunder” sequel.