Top Gun Fanboy Chase Elliott Selects Tom Cruise for His Biopic: “Wouldn’t Be a Bad Option”

Published 02/01/2023, 7:45 PM EST
There have been few actors in the last three or four decades who have had as prolific and enduring a career as Tom Cruise. Ever since he hit it big in the 80s, Cruise has carried on that momentum and re-invented himself from a fantastic dramatic actor to one of the biggest action heroes of all time—the combination of which Top Gun Maverick recently had on display. So it’s no wonder that Chase Elliott wants Cruise for his own biopic.
The Hendrick Motorsports driver, apart from being a superstar NASCAR driver ranked unanimously as one of the best of his generation, is also a licensed pilot who is deeply into aviation.
Cruise too has had experience in both stock car racing, with Days of Thunder, and of course, in aviation with the Top Gun films.
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Perhaps that’s why Elliott picked him in a recent interview to play his role whenever a film is made on his life.
Chase Elliott names the last film he saw
In a recent interview on Heidi and Frank Morning Show, Elliott was asked which was the last film he’d seen, to which he immediately went, “Top Gun.”
“Top Gun. It was a great film. I thought they did really good with that,” he said.
The 2020 Cup champion was then asked who’d be his pick to play Chase Elliott if there’s ever a Chase Elliott Story film. “Tom Cruise wouldn’t be a bad option, he was pretty good in Days of Thunder,” Elliott responded.
“He’s got a pretty good reputation for motorsports and all those different things, so he wouldn’t be a bad option.”
NASCAR, Motorsport, USA Championship Media Day Nov 3, 2022 Phoenix, Arizona, USA NASCAR Cup Series driver Chase Elliott speaks to the media during Championship Four Media Day at Phoenix Convention Center. Phoenix Phoenix Convention Center Arizona USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xMarkxJ.xRebilasx 20221103_mjr_su5_044
But, it’s not like Elliott is a fan of all NASCAR-related blockbuster films, which was evident by his answer on how many times he has seen Talladega Nights.
“I’m not big on Talladega Nights. I can’t say I’ve watched it very much,” he replied.
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Elliott on the “awkward thing” in NASCAR last season
Last season, Chase Elliott won 5 races. But in one of those five, well, let’s just say, he got lucky, because of which he himself considers his 2022 win-tally to be 4.5 and not 5.
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It was Pocono. And after the checkered flag dropped, Elliott was in third place. But then, NASCAR decided to disqualify Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch, and promote the third-ranked driver to the victory lane.
This, for Elliott, albeit a little weird for NASCAR, wasn’t all that new for motorsports. “It was such an awkward thing. And honestly, one that it’s like… everybody talked about us having five wins last year. It’s really four and a half,” he said about the Pocono win.
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“It’s kind of an unprecedented thing in NASCAR. But not necessarily in motorsport.”