During a recent visit to the Leadership Institute’s offices in Washington D.C., NASCAR CEO Steve O'Donnell sat down for an interview with the Wall Street Journal where they discussed the state of the sport and future plans.
NASCAR was deeply involved in assisting with the production of the original Days of Thunder film, which was released in 1990. The sequel, starring Tom Cruise in his return to the character of Cole Trickle alongside Anne Hathaway in a new role, is set to release in June of 2028.
Cruise was at Daytona International Speedway at the end of the 2026 regular season for the Cup Series, confirming the film and addressing the NASCAR garage. A long-time NASCAR fan, Cruise told the garage that he intends the treat the sport with respect, commenting that he plans to "give the audience that opportunity to understand what it is as a team, as a community, what it is for NASCAR -- the speed, the excitement, and all of that danger and stuff."
In the WSJ report, O'Donnell noted that Cruise told the Sanctioning Body that "you better be ready for this ... people are going to tune in that have never seen a race.” NASCAR is also expected to build more than 80 race cars for use during the film's production.
In the original film, NASCAR allowed for filming at the track on race weekends, and even permitted film cars (driven by actual NASCAR drivers) to join behind the field during legitimate races, notably the 1990 Daytona 500. Hendrick Motorsports helped to build five custom race cars fitted with specialized camera equipment, and there's no doubt that the sequel is going to try and be even bigger and bolder -- much like Top Gun's sequel film. The original film went through about 60 race cars.
The recent hit F1 movie, which also involved Days of Thunder producer Jerry Bruckheimer, worked closely with the FIA to get some incredibly authentic shots.
O'Donnell took over the role of NASCAR CEO from Jim France early in 2026, and is the first person to be named to the position who is not a member of NASCAR's founding France family.
There is hope within NASCAR that a serious, gritty drama like Days of Thunder could bring on a new era for the sport, and ignite newfound interest in NASCAR from a wider audience.
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