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Speaking of NASCAR and Hollywood in the same sentence, the first thing that springs to mind is Days of Thunder. The 1990 Tom Cruise starrer featured three main characters, Cole Trickle, Rowdy Burns, and Russ Wheeler. The trio drove the #46, 51, and #18 cars, respectively.

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Recently, it emerged that a fan stumbled across a NASCAR car that greatly resembled the #18 car of Russ Wheeler.

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The name Russ Wheeler is on the car. But Of course, no one really knows if it’s the real car. The livery is also the same, though the yellow color has faded a lot. Additionally, the car has rusted very slightly but is still recognizable.

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READ MORE: Kyle Busch Jokes About Rebooting Cult Classic NASCAR Movie ‘Days of Thunder’

Apparently, it was found in a scrap yard in Port Orange, Florida. In the movie, Cary Elwes drove the number 18 car when he took on the role of Russ Wheeler, a young NASCAR hotshot.

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What will happen to this NASCAR car?

Naturally, many fans were hoping that someone picked up the car and restored it to its former glory. According to them, although it was a movie car, it was still part of NASCAR history.

Some even wanted Dale Earnhardt Jr to buy the car and restore it to its former glory.

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Admittedly, the #18 NASCAR car will most likely just be sitting around as a showpiece if it does get restored. Nevertheless, it is important for such an iconic machine to be rescued, if in fact it is the real deal.

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USA Today via Reuters

Sure, it may not be as iconic as Cole Trickle’s #46 or Rowdy Burns’ #51 cars, but the #18 is well known. In fact, Days of Thunder is quite possibly one of the best portrayals of NASCAR on the big screen.

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Since he can be perceived as a bit of an adrenaline junkie, Cruise would have enjoyed himself in the cars. Most fans already know that Cruise is a huge motorsport fan. Not only has he been spotted in the Mercedes F1 garage, but a while back, he also drove a Red Bull F1 car.

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Dhruv George

14,832 Articles

Dhruv George is EssentiallySports’ foremost authority on motorsport and a founding member of the outlet’s NASCAR desk. A Journalism graduate fluent in English and French, he brings over eight years of motorsports journalism experience covering everything from high-octane NASCAR battles to the finesse of Formula 1 and MotoGP. His extensive paddock access has earned him exclusive interviews with top names such as Know more

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Ranvijay Singh

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