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Tom Cruise Posts Emotional Throwback to Iconic NASCAR Film Amid Sequel Rumors
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Hollywood star Tom Cruise has posted an emotional throwback to the iconic NASCAR-based movie Days of Thunder on X,celebrating 35 years on June 27, the day he partnered with the late director Tony Scott. Coincidentally, the anniversary also marked the release of another action-packed racing movie - F1, produced by Cruise's friend, Jerry Bruckheimer.
Cruise started a thread on X with throwback pictures from his Days of Thunder days, and ended by congratulating Bruckheimer, Brad Pitt, and F1 director Joseph Kosinski.
His role in Days of Thunder was that of a young driver, Cole Trickle, who was new to racing. However, a rivalry sparked between him and a veteran driver, which grew into a friendship after the two were involved in a major crash.
American actor Tom Cruise on the set of Days of Thunder, directed by Tony Scott.
American actor Tom Cruise on the set of Days of Thunder, directed by Tony Scott.
Paramount Pictures/Sunset Boulevard/Corbis/Getty Images
Revealing his love for racing movies, Cruise wrote on X:
"I always love the fun and adrenaline of a racing film. Today marks two racing milestones for my friend Jerry Bruckheimer, the release of F1 and the 35 year anniversary to the day of our collaboration with the great Tony Scott on Days of Thunder."
I always love the fun and adrenaline of a racing film. Today marks two racing milestones for my friend Jerry Bruckheimer, the release of F1 and the 35 year anniversary to the day of our collaboration with the great Tony Scott on Days of Thunder.
1/7 — Tom Cruise (@TomCruise) June 27, 2025
While Cruise congratulated the crew of F1, former NASCAR driver and chairman of Hendrick Motorsports, Jeff Gordon, suggested there will be a sequel to Days of Thunder starring Cruise.
Gordon believes NASCAR needs a Hollywood boost to expand its reach to the masses. Considering the rise of streaming platforms, Gordon emphasized that this is the right time to produce Days of Thunder 2. Newsweek Sports reported his comments:
"Let's do Days of Thunder 2, I am all for that. Tom Cruise has told me it's gonna happen, so let's make it happen. I can't go back to driving, I am too old for that, so gonna have to be one of our four or all four of our Hendrick drivers, Alex Bowman, Chase Elliott, Kyle Larson, William Byron. When I came into NASCAR, Days of Thunder had just come out. It played a huge role in the growth of NASCAR. So let's bring it back."
He added:
"I've absolutely talked to Tom about it because I want him to do the project, and we want to be a part of it if it were to happen."
Explaining why this is the perfect time to work on a NASCAR-based movie, he said:
"There's this kind of resurgence, which is awesome, and there's also a whole new landscape of opportunities with streaming services and docuseries and also the big screen, which I think it would be amazing to do.
"I am seeing just a lot more momentum in projects like this coming through NASCAR and coming to Hendrick Motorsports and just more interest. So that's good, right? It talks a lot about where the sport is at, where it's heading, the amazing crowd that was [at Daytona], not just today, new TV partners."
