Top Gun: Maverick’s box-office dominance sparked an obvious question: if Tom Cruise could revive one of his 80s classics, why not the other? Days of Thunder was the natural next step, and sure enough, Cruise led talks with NASCAR and got the green light for a sequel. Now, the Hollywood icon is leaning on real drivers for authenticity, including Spire Motorsports’ Carson Hocevar.

Carson Hocevar had a crazy idea for the movie

Many in the NASCAR community know the #77 driver’s reputation. Hocevar is notorious for his aggressive tactics, earning penalties and plenty of enemies along the way. So what would happen if Tom Cruise’s Cole Trickle crossed paths with Hocevar on track? When asked if Cruise knew about his wreck idea, Hocevar said, “I think so, I think he [Cruise] does know that.” The Michigan native admitted Cruise was enthusiastic about the concept.

Hocevar has been heavily involved in the sequel’s development. “Since January, I’ve been helping them work on that movie,” he explained. “That was the first time I got to meet with him, finally.”

It was surreal for the 23-year-old. At Daytona, Hocevar met Navy personnel who were fans of his, and they told him Cruise was a big fan too. Even Cruise’s security detail personally came to fetch him. Needless to say, Hocevar was flattered.

He continued, “It’s been super cool that I’ve been able to put a lot of my input on the movie and help them out. Give them ideas, video clips from real life, from the last 20 years. They haven’t known that that probably has existed. It’s been pretty cool.”

The Spire Motorsports star opened up on helping with Days of Thunder

Hocevar confessed he’d prefer to be Cole Trickle’s rival. According to Cruise’s Instagram, the film releases in 2028. Anne Hathaway has already joined the cast as a new character, though the rest of the original lineup remains unconfirmed.

Other NASCAR stars are equally excited. Defending champion Kyle Larson admitted, “I think it would be a cool opportunity [to make a cameo in the movie], for sure, but I’m also not an actor, so I don’t want to make the film worse.”

Meanwhile, Denny Hamlin revealed Days of Thunder was the first racing movie he ever saw. What stood out was its realism; even if some moments were dramatized, the essence was still NASCAR. Unlike Talladega Nights’ parody tone, Days of Thunder aims for authenticity, which is why it remains revered among drivers.

Chase Briscoe added his own Cruise encounter: “It was really neat. It actually started earlier in that day. We were doing our driver council meeting and that kind of door opened off to the side and there was like two Suburbans there. All of a sudden, Tom Cruise walked in and none of us knew that was happening, and he’s just sitting there and talked with us for like 20, 25 minutes about his goal of what to do with the movie and how he wants to paint us out to be.”

All in all, the anticipation is building. With Maverick’s success setting the bar, Days of Thunder 2 carries pressure to perform at the box office—and perhaps even push NASCAR closer to the mainstream spotlight again.