Days of Thunder was not particularly well-received by the NASCAR community upon its release in 1990. Many, including Dale Earnhardt, Alan Kulwicki, and Rusty Wallace, criticized the way racing was portrayed in the movie, despite its attempt to capture the sport authentically. Regardless, it became a cult classic among wider audiences over the years. And with a sequel announced for 2028, Tom Cruise has bold plans.

Rick Hendrick, whose Hendrick Motorsports-designed NASCAR cars Cruise drove while filming the first movie, revealed in an interview with SiriusXM NASCAR Radio how the Hollywood megastar is approaching Days of Thunder 2.

“It’s going to open NASCAR — not that we’re not — but around the world. Anything he’s in, I can tell you, he pours his heart and soul into making a movie,” Hendrick said.

NASCAR has been trying to reach audiences in other countries for years, even expanding into international markets. That said, using mainstream media to popularize the sport could be an effective way to further those efforts. F1, for example, managed to capture the attention of American audiences by investing heavily in Drive to Survive, while also bringing the sport to the big screen with an F1-themed movie starring Brad Pitt and produced by Lewis Hamilton.

Cruise has also brought along Oscar-winning actress Anne Hathaway for the Days of Thunder sequel. She will play the role of a team owner and engineer, Cruise has revealed in interviews over the last few weeks. Another aspect he particularly wants to emphasize in the film is creating an immersive experience for fans while also portraying racing in a more authentic way, as Hendrick revealed.

“I think him going around and talking to all the owners and drivers, he was assuring them that he was going to make them proud. And I think that showed the amount of determination he has in wanting it to be something that everybody in the sport will be proud of,” Hendrick added in the same interview.

Cruise had previously promised “The Intimidator,” Dale Earnhardt, at his farm in North Carolina that the first film, too, would be authentic. But after its release, Kulwicki criticized the filmmakers for making the drivers look like they were racing bumper cars, pointing to the way Cruise’s character, Cole Trickle, and others made contact with each other and the walls without any consequences.

Cruise and the directors are making the same promise once again. Reports have stated that movie officials have spent the last few months traveling to different tracks around the country to study the sport, analyze the cars, and understand how they truly work.

“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 said in an interview with former NFL player turned sports analyst Pat McAfee last month.

Cruise will also get behind the wheel of a NASCAR car once again, much like he did in 1990 when he drove a Hendrick-modified stock car around tracks such as Daytona and Charlotte. It’s not yet been revealed whether Rick Hendrick will once again get Cruise behind the wheel, but considering his close friendship with both Cruise and producer Jerry Bruckheimer, that’s certainly a possibility.

Rick also revealed that Days of Thunder: 2 will showcase a more ‘human’ side of NASCAR, with a feel-good story for fans to enjoy. While staying true to the sport’s roots, the movie will also not focus too much on historical elements that newer fans will not be able to relate to. Rick described it as “upbeat”.

If Cruise can pull that off, Days of Thunder 2 could do much more than bring back a movie from the 1990s. It could introduce NASCAR to a whole new generation of fans in a different way and get new eyeballs into the sport.