Cole Trickle became a name synonymous with NASCAR in the 1990s. The iconic character, played by Hollywood megastar Tom Cruise, was the protagonist of Days of Thunder, a cult classic that put the sport on the mainstream map. Now, nearly 40 years later, Cruise is returning with the legacy sequel, and he has bigger and grander things in mind.
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Cruise spoke to former NFL player turned analyst Pat McAfee about Days of Thunder 2 and what fans can expect from Cole Trickle’s return on a recent episode of the Pat McAfee Show. One of the biggest things Cruise emphasized was to make the experience as authentic for fans as possible.
“There’s technically a lot of things that we, when you’re doing stuff like, even with the aviation stuff, how do we tell those stories? I spent years training in aerobatics, training from helicopters to jet airplanes, and studying aerial photography and creating aerial photography. So we’re creating stories like, what can I tell with them?” Cruise said.
“With these cars, I love the culture, you know. It’s going to have… It’s a real, immersive cultural story that’s going to have racing, and it’s like, how do we do it? So we’re going to be creating knowledge as we go along.”
Cruise wants to focus on that aspect to stay in line with what audiences demand today. F1, produced by seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton and starring Brad Pitt, did just that in 2025, filming during actual race weekends and involving real-life figures. It made for an easy watch for newcomers while giving older fans of the sport a sense of familiarity. They grossed over $600 million worldwide. For NASCAR, this could be a great step toward reaching newer markets.
Academy Award-winning actress Anne Hathaway is also set to co-star in this sequel. The full plot, of course, remains unknown, but Cruise revealed that she will play the role of a team owner and engineer. And as for Cruise, he will once again get behind the wheel of an actual car.
While shooting the 1990 original, which earned over $150 million at the box office, Cruise worked hard to familiarize himself with actual stock car racing. He drove a specially modified car designed by Hendrick Motorsports, reaching speeds of up to 170 mph. He didn’t take part in actual race weekends, though, because of obvious safety concerns.
McAfee, like fans all over the country, was curious what Trickle’s role would be in Days of Thunder 2. He was relieved to hear that he would continue as a driver.
“Here’s the thing. If I’m making a movie about airplanes, I’m flying. I’m making a movie like this, you know? No, no, I’m driving. Create those scenes together,” Cruise stated on the show.
The airplane reference comes from the Top Gun series, which is arguably one of Tom Cruise’s most popular movie franchises ever. When Days of Thunder was released all those years ago, many critics slammed Cruise and the producers for copying the Top Gun formula and bringing it into the NASCAR world. Even some stars of the sport like Dale Earnhardt were not too happy about the Hollywood presence on actual race weekends.
The ‘Top Gun of NASCAR’ comments began as an insult, but the cultural reach it had is something Cruise and Co. wear like a badge of honor today. And he wants to replicate that once again when the movie releases in 2028.
“I love this sport, you know. I grew up just taking cars in the back streets before I had my license and racing on country roads and looking at dirt tracks. And I love NASCAR, and I love racing,” Cruise told Pat McAfee on the show.
Whether Days of Thunder 2 can recreate the impact of its predecessor remains to be seen. But with Cruise once again putting Cole Trickle behind the wheel, NASCAR is about to get another shot at the Hollywood spotlight.