36 years back, when Cole Trickle took his win over Russ Wheeler at Daytona, NASCAR fans wouldn’t have expected to see a sequel. 

But after the success of F1: The Movie starring Brad Pitt, everyone around NASCAR is wishing that there is a possibility of a new installment of Days of Thunder releasing to give NASCAR a similar boost. 

As rumors fly around and speculations begin as to how a sequel would work out, NASCAR CEO Steven O’Donnell was asked about the possibilities of a sequel, and his answer may have NASCAR fans and even casuals excited. 

Journalist Adam Stern posted O’Donnell’s reply on X.  “I will say, there is a lot of momentum — and I remain cautiously optimistic that we’re going to see some really cool stuff coming in the future in that area.”

As fans get excited, there are a few queues to pick up from. For one, Tom Cruise has been actively speaking to Paramount Pictures as well as producer Jerry Bruckheimer about a possible remake or a sequel to Trickle’s story. 

There are also reports that screenwriter Will Staples has been shadowing NASCAR operations in the garage as well as visiting team shops around Charlotte. 

Whether it’s all for the same movie or for different installments of films, it’s unclear, but what is clear from the hints around a possible film is the understanding that it could give NASCAR a boost, similar to the effects of F1 on Formula 1. 

But it’s not just NASCAR’s CEO dropping hints; a couple of months back, even a NASCAR legend confirmed something similar. 

Jeff Gordon reveals Days of Thunder talks

If anyone watched Days of Thunder now, it wouldn’t be too bad a shot to say that some of Jeff Gordon’s characteristics have rubbed off on the creation of Cruise’s Cole Trickle character. 

Hot-headed, aggressive while these aren’t the first words one would use to describe Gordon, there were shades of it throughout his career. 

Currently serving as the VP at Hendrick Motorsports, Jeff Gordon was speaking at the Inside the New Sports Economy: Innovations, Partnerships and Global Expansion session at the Milken Institute’s Global Conference when he was asked about the possibility of the film. 

Asked about screenwriter Will Staples shadowing his crew and even speaking to drivers like Kyle Busch, Gordon’s initial reply was that he was “held to secrecy.”

Gordon did say, “All I can say is that there have been a team at the track, taking notes, gathering information, meeting with drivers and teams, and a writer who’s working on something to move it into the future,” as reported by the Daily Downforce.

Gordon also spoke about a conversation with Tom Cruise, speaking after Chase Elliott’s win in Martinsville, Gordon said, “I saw Tom one or two years ago. He actually brought it up then. We were just laughing a bit. He said, ‘No. I’m serious, this is going to happen.’ When Tom Cruise says that, you take it seriously.”

While neither Gordon nor O’Donnell’s comments have given away anything, all the signs are pointing towards a modern-day film coming soon to bring NASCAR back to the big screen. 

Which do you think would work better, a sequel or a remake? Let us know. 

Read more at Daytona Racing Digest.

Written by

Debrup Chaudhuri