Tom Cruise Is Bringing Cole Trickle Back To NASCAR

DAYTONA BEACH, FL - FEBRUARY 15: Actor Tom Cruise sits wrong the car utilized successful the movie "Days of Thunder" connected way anterior to the commencement of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Daytona 500 astatine Daytona International Speedway connected February 15, 2009 successful Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images for NASCAR)

Getty Images for NASCAR

NASCAR fans tin rejoice. Or possibly statesman preparing themselves for the inevitable impulse to quote Harry Hogge astatine strangers. Because aft decades of rumors, whispers, teasing and the benignant of speculation usually reserved for Elvis sightings and alien landings, a Days of Thunder sequel is officially connected the accelerated way to theaters.

News of the long-awaited follow-up to the 1990 original was revealed Saturday. The caller movie will again prima Tom Cruise, who will beryllium joined by Anne Hathaway.

Few specifications are known beyond the truth that Cruise will reprise his domiciled arsenic NASCAR driver Cole Trickle. Hathaway will reportedly play a squad proprietor and engineer. The movie will beryllium directed by Jonathan Levine and filmed for IMAX.

Which means, presumably, this will not beryllium a mini affair.

The 1990 type of Days of Thunder featured Cruise arsenic Trickle, staging thing of an penetration into what was past a mostly Southern athletics aft arriving from the world of open-wheel racing. The characteristic was loosely based connected NASCAR driver Tim Richmond, the wildly talented Ohio autochthonal who was 1 of the sport's biggest stars astatine the time.

In the movie, Trickle's narration pinch his unit main Harry Hogge, played by Robert Duvall, was cardinal to the story. There were accelerated cars, spectacular crashes, arguments, romance and capable motor sound to make your surviving room windows nervous.

The movie was considered a deed and remains wildly celebrated among NASCAR fans, galore of whom person spent the past 3 decades wondering erstwhile Hollywood mightiness determine it was clip to spell backmost to Daytona.

That wish, it seems, has yet been granted.

The timing is hardly accidental. NASCAR has enjoyed thing of a resurgence successful celebrated civilization successful caller years. There person been miniseries, documentaries and moreover a sitcom utilizing NASCAR arsenic its backdrop. So the presence of a awesome characteristic movie centered astir the athletics should possibly travel arsenic nary surprise.

Still, Days of Thunder is different.

This isn't simply NASCAR appearing connected a screen. This is Cole Trickle climbing backmost into the car.

A sequel has been whispered about, teased and highly anticipated for respective years. In 2025, Jeff Gordon, who collapsed into NASCAR astir the clip the original movie was made, discussed the anticipation during a property convention aft Hendrick Motorsports driver William Byron won the 2025 Daytona 500.

Hendrick Motorsports was heavy progressive successful the first movie, supplying cars and method proposal during filming. Gordon is besides friends pinch Cruise. And erstwhile asked astir the anticipation of different Days of Thunder, Gordon said it would beryllium “amazing.”

“Hendrick Motorsports being a portion of that project, difficult to ideate really you propulsion that disconnected coming because they really had title cars pinch cameras successful the race, and the cameras were big,” he said. “Cameras person gotten a batch smaller truthful possibly you could propulsion it off, but really do you do it and make it realistic and really authentic.

“But I've perfectly talked to Tom astir it because I want him to do the project, and we want “to beryllium a portion of it if it were to happen.

“He seems to for illustration to tease it, truthful I don't know. We'll spot what happens. If that doesn't happen, I consciousness beautiful assured there's a task retired location that will get NASCAR backmost connected the large screen, if not conscionable a really cool docuseries aliases thing beyond moreover what we're already seeing correct now.”

Well, it is, successful fact, happening.

And considering the spectacular occurrence Cruise had pinch his Top Gun sequel, location is plentifulness of logic to judge lightning tin onslaught twice. Or perhaps, successful this case, astatine astir 190 mph pinch the throttle buried and personification shouting into a radio.

Speedway president Frank Kelleher confirmed that some Cruise and Hathaway were astatine Daytona International Speedway this past week doing a promotional sprout for the caller project.

With a projected merchandise day of June 2028, NASCAR fans — and the manufacture itself — tin expect to spot plentifulness of Cruise, Hathaway and movie crews astatine Daytona and different NASCAR tracks passim 2027.

That unsocial should make for an absorbing season.

And then, connected June 2, 2028, galore of those aforesaid NASCAR fans and manufacture members will apt find themselves sitting successful IMAX theaters, popcorn successful hand, aliases possibly crystal cream, waiting for the lights to spell down and the engines to fire.

Nearly 4 decades aft Cole Trickle first arrived successful NASCAR and promptly began rearranging the furniture, Days of Thunder is yet getting different lap.

And arsenic Harry Hogge erstwhile said:

“This is it! This is what it’s each about!”