Drivers meetings are normally pretty dry, with discussions mostly on track etiquette,  safety, pit road rules etc. That changed heading into the regular-season finale at Daytona, when Tom Cruise showed up in person to tell the Cup Series field that Days of Thunder 2 is officially happening.

Before the drivers meeting, Cruise posted a short video on his social media handle that spread fast online. Bringing Hollywood heartthrob Anne Hathaway along with him to Daytona, the two showed off a stock car with “Days of Thunder Summer 2028” painted on the side, confirming the sequel nearly four decades after the original put Cole Trickle on the high banks.

“Now what?” Cruise was seen asking Hathaway who responded, “Now what? I’m gonna have this baby and then we’re gonna make this movie.” Hathaway is currently expecting her third child with husband Adam Shulman.

“That’s a good idea, you have the baby, then we’ll go make the movie”, Cruise responded. Addressing the fans, he further added, “We’re coming out summer of 2028. Don’t be late.”

What role Hathaway is set to play is unclear and rest of the cast remain a mystery. It’s also unclear if Cruise will return as Cole Trickle in the driving seat or in a different role altogether as details still remain under wraps. Production is expected to start once Hathaway has the baby.

Speaking at the actual Cup Series drivers meeting, Cruise didn’t just talk about the upcoming sequel, he told a story about filming the original back in 1990, right on that same track.

“I am so excited to be back here,” Cruise said. “Last time I was at this track, actually, I was on the backstraight, and I was shooting with two very heavy cameras traveling 180mph, and suddenly, the hood was off the car and there were two heavy cameras, and I’m on the backstraight, the sun is setting, and I’m trying to get all my lines out before we lost the light, and suddenly the whole car was in flames. It turned from a barbecue to a bonfire on the backstraight.”

Dropping a joke on the NASCAR’s finicky radios, the Hollywood daredevil added, “Couldn’t even get the crew to come in and help me, but just because the radio didn’t work in the backstraight, and I hear that that’s still possible, right? You guys didn’t fix that. Well, that’s good.”

That got a laugh from the room, but Cruise turned more serious talking about why he wanted to make another one of these movies with producer Jerry Bruckheimer. For him, it’s not really about the racing itself, it’s about the people around it. “Listen, it’s a real honor for me to be here. It was a real honor for me. I used to take cars in the back streets of Kentucky racing when I was a little kid. Now, when I brought Days of Thunder to Jerry Bruckheimer in the 1980s, it’s not just about racing. It’s about the community and the people here. There’s something very special about racers and the racing community.”

Cruise said getting that feeling right is his main goal with the sequel, “It’s a culture, and I think that I was very proud to be able to reflect that in the first Days of Thunder, and I’m honored to share it with the world, but I just wanted you all to know that’s basically what we’re gonna go for with this one. Give the audience that opportunity to understand what it is as a team, as a community, what it is for NASCAR, the speed, the excitement, and all of that danger and stuff. Of course, I love it.”

Filming won’t start until after Hathaway has her baby, but the announcement is official: Days of Thunder 2 is coming, and 36 years after the first one, NASCAR will officially be back on the big screen.