Of late, sports docuseries have been on the rise on several OTT platforms. This also includes NASCAR, especially with its latest series, ‘NASCAR: Full Speed’. However, long before that, there were a number of fictional sports movies that people enjoyed. One of the most popular NASCAR-themed movies was the Tom Cruise starrer, ‘Days of Thunder’.
For those who have been living under a rock, the movie follows Cruise’s character competing in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series. The actor plays Cole Trickle, a USAC driver, now called IndyCar, who is recruited to race in the Cup Series. Trickle is partnered by crew chief Harry Hogge, who had been brought out of retirement. From there, the story follows Trickles trials and tribulations in the premier stock car racing series.
Recently, footage emerged of the making of the now cult classic NASCAR movie. As it turned out, there was filming to be done at various locations, including Charlotte, Daytona and even the Phoenix Raceway. Considering the recently concluded race at Phoenix, it was fitting that the footage released was the scenes at the venue.
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Tom Cruise took over the Phoenix Raceway
Days of Thunder was released in 1990, so filming began a year prior. Of course, to prevent leaks, the projects usually have a temporary name, so it was first called ‘Daytona’ and then ‘Top Run’. Finally, the producers settled on the name, ‘Days of Thunder’ and the filming began. During the staged races, Tom Cruise was pitted against a number of top Winston Cup drivers. As depicted in the movie, he was piloting the #46 car.
As per the footage, filming lasted for about an hour and the mock race ended. Heading into slight spoiler territory, the green and yellow #46 car ended up having an accident and Trickle was rushed to hospital. Naturally, once filming wrapped up, many fans wanted to catch a glimpse of Tom Cruise. After all, who would not want to get a chance to see their favorite Hollywood celebrity?
Days of Thunder was the then-latest attempt to popularise stock car racing in mainstream Hollywood. The movie was directed by Tony Scott (the director of Top Gun) and the music was by Hans Zimmer. Back in the day, the movie received mixed reactions, but over time it reached new heights, especially within the racing community.
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Top Gun on Wheels is that title Days of Thunder embraced over the years, but it can certainly stand on its own. Although NASCAR isn’t the powerhouse sport it once used to be during its heyday, efforts are being made to bring it back into the light. While a big-budget film seems out of reach, the OTT platforms are well within NASCAR’s reach.
What is the future of NASCAR on film and television?
Truthfully, a sequel for Days of Thunder is likely still in its infancy. However, it took 36 years for Top Gun to get a sequel, so stranger things have happened. The best part is that Cruise is in talks for a Days of Thunder sequel. However it is worth mentioning that the timeline for the proposed movie to actually make it to theatres, is a bit hazy.
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Currently, the only bit of NASCAR media that is concrete, is the NASCAR: Full Speed documentary series. Last year the inaugural season dropped and was widely well-received among fans, hardcore and casual. Season 2 is expected to drop relatively soon, and the anticipation is steadily building for it. Unfortunately, after Days of Thunder, the NASCAR film line-up was relatively sparse.
The Herbie movie franchise was running strong with Herbie: Fully Loaded in 2004. Two years later, there was the Cars movie which brought NASCAR racing to a younger audience and made it immensely popular. In the same year, there was the comedy movie, ‘Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby’, starring Will Ferrell. Until Logan Lucky in 2017, there were not too many movies based on NASCAR, which did not include documentaries. However, if Tom Cruise can successfully get the Days of Thunder sequel greenlit, it would be a massive boost for NASCAR.
Throwback: Watch Tom Cruise Gracing Phoenix to Begin the NASCAR Cult Classic 36 Years Ago
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