It all started with a simple joyride. Tom Cruise wasn’t planning to change Hollywood or influence NASCAR when he hopped into one of Rick Hendrick’s stock cars at Daytona. But the second his foot hit the gas, and he felt that engine roar down the straightaway, something clicked. In a 2015 interview, he said, “I had driven some incredible machines with Paul and Rick before that, but the sensation of driving one of Rick’s stock cars around Daytona was an entirely different level. I think I hit 175 mph. The second I climbed out of that car on pit road, I said, “We have to make a movie about this!”

Rick Hendrick remembers it vividly. “We were at Daytona testing our Busch [now Xfinity] Series car, and they came out to the track, so we put Tom in that car, and he just took off. He loved it,” he said once. That adrenaline-fueled day birthed Days of Thunder, a high-octane mix of drama, romance, and roaring engines. The 1990 release, powered by Hans Zimmer’s score and Cruise’s charisma, painted NASCAR in colors never seen before. While critics found the racing overly dramatized, fans devoured it. It turned Cole Trickle into a name as iconic as Dale Earnhardt, blurring the line between fiction and track reality.

Now, decades later, that same fire is being reignited. Tom Cruise has confirmed he’s in talks for a sequel. The 62-year-old actor said he’s not chasing nostalgia; he’s looking to finish what he started. “It’s something I’ve wanted to do for years. There’s unfinished business there,” Cruise told the Sports Business Journal. He emphasized his desire to bring authenticity and emotional depth to the next chapter. Adam Stern reported on social media that Cruise is in active discussions, and things are starting to gain serious momentum.

Cruise’s words dropped like a green flag, sparking immediate fan frenzy. NASCAR fans aren’t just excited, they’re dreaming up wild plotlines and racing scenarios. Once again, Hollywood and horsepower are merging, and the possibilities are wide open. One fan imagined, “Let me guess. He plays a modern Jeff Gordon role where he is now the owner of a young, brash driver?” That idea might not be far-fetched. After all, Jeff Gordon himself has been seen alongside Cruise at recent premieres. Jeff Gordon is now the vice chairman of Hendrick Motorsports. NASCAR wants to reconnect with younger fans. The timing couldn’t be better.

A new Days of Thunder movie could do more than entertain. It could redefine NASCAR’s place in pop culture. Top Gun: Maverick did that for naval aviation. Formula 1 has already made its move. Brad Pitt and Lewis Hamilton are backing an upcoming F1 movie. NASCAR risks falling behind. Gordon emphasized the urgency. “I’ve been getting asked this a lot, so I’m going to go ahead and tell you: yes, he wants to have Days of Thunder 2,” he said on SiriusXM. To Gordon, this isn’t just a movie. It’s a strategic move to bring stock car racing back to the spotlight—and to a new generation.

And he is not alone. RFK Racing co-owner and 2012 Cup series champion, Brad Keselowski, also wants this to happen. He tagged Cruise and Gordon on social media, urging them: “Make it happen, pls. We are all pulling for this!” The push comes as NASCAR seeks to maintain its footing in a shifting entertainment landscape. Streaming platforms, younger demographics, and international motorsports coverage are all pressuring the American racing giant to evolve. A sequel could serve as the perfect bridge between tradition and innovation, bringing old fans back while luring new ones in.

And it’s not just fans and drivers. NASCAR itself, though quiet on specifics, has expressed openness to the project. After years of wrestling with the original film’s depiction of racing, they now see the sequel as a marketing win. If they nail the realism, Cruise is promising, Days of Thunder 2 could do for NASCAR what Ford v Ferrari did for endurance racing. As talks continue and speculation ramps up, the excitement is undeniable. Fans, long starved for a new cultural moment, have taken to social media with enthusiasm and creativity.

Fan fever ignites the thunder for NASCAR’s much-awaited film!

The internet exploded as soon as the sequel talks went public. One fan joked, “Cole Trickle is going to hit the pace car, but Fox will be showing commercials this time.” FOX’s habit of cutting to commercials mid-race is a long-standing frustration. In 2023 alone, FOX aired more than 5,000 ads during Cup Series races, totaling over 13 hours of commercial time. If Cruise leans into that reality, fans will eat it up. This was a dig at one of NASCAR’s longest-serving partners, but it seems like they haven’t evolved with the times.

Another user couldn’t wait for the cinematic clichés: “Can’t wait for the scene where the main character shifts into a hidden gear and passes the antagonist.” It’s classic Cruise—and a nod to the over-the-top moments fans secretly love. Someone else dropped a more cryptic take: “Interestingly enough, Jeff Gordon was seen with Tom Cruise at the premiere of Mission Impossible: Final Reckoning last night. Maybe that wasn’t a coincidence if this is true.” The speculation game is on fire.

A fan declared, “If it’s even half as good as Top Gun: Maverick, this is gonna be a fantastic film.” That’s no wishful thinking—facts back it up. Top Gun: Maverick earned nearly $1.5 billion at the global box office and revived a legacy brand. If Days of Thunder 2 even sniffs that kind of success, NASCAR could ride a major wave.

There were demands on what the script or the story of the sequel should be like. For some fans, they are tired of rooting for the good guy, they want NASCAR to share the real villain story and how that personality can alter the trends in modern-day racing. “Can’t wait for the scene where the main character shifts into a hidden gear and passes the antagonist.”

For now, discussions are on, and the racing world awaits Brad Pitt and Lewis Hamilton’s F1 in theaters on May 29. If that film rocks at the Box Office, it will be certain that NASCAR pulls off a sequel with Tom Cruise.