42 Fun Facts About Days of Thunder

Which studio released Days of Thunder in June 1990?

Paramount Pictures had pushed out Don Simpson as its head of production, then signed him and Jerry Bruckheimer to a producing deal.

Who directed Days of Thunder?

Tony Scott reunited with Tom Cruise and producers Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer, who built the film as a reprise of their earlier hit.

In Days of Thunder, which line does crew chief Harry Hogge say to Cole?

Rubbin' is racin', Harry says, insisting Rowdy didn't slam Cole but rubbed him, just before Cole loses control and wrecks.

In Days of Thunder, who plays the reigning champion who becomes Cole's rival and then his friend?

Michael Rooker's champion later hands his own car to Cole for the Daytona 500 when he can't race himself.

Nicole Kidman's character Dr. Claire Lewicki has what medical specialty?

Neurosurgeon Claire Lewicki was played by Nicole Kidman, who went on to marry her co-star Tom Cruise.

After Cole causes a crash, what does Harry tell him to hit while still under caution?

The pace car, Harry says, because Cole has already hit every other thing out there and Harry wants him to be perfect.

Which soft drink sponsors Cole Trickle's car late in Days of Thunder?

Mello Yello turned fiction into fact, carrying the movie's paint scheme on a real No. 42 Cup car from 1991 to 1994.

Cole Trickle's character was loosely patterned on which real driver?

Tim Richmond's life was cut short by AIDS in 1989, the year before the film came out.

Team owner Tim Daland, played by Randy Quaid, was based on which NASCAR owner?

Rick Hendrick's team supplied the movie's Chevrolets, and stand-in drivers raced them in real NASCAR events to film footage.

Cary Elwes plays Russ Wheeler, who drives the No. 18 car sponsored by which fast-food chain?

Hardee's backs the new team of Russ Wheeler, the rookie hired to sub for the injured Cole, who then becomes his bitter teammate.

Fred Dalton Thompson plays NASCAR president Big John, based on which real figure?

Bill France Jr., then running NASCAR, once summoned two feuding drivers to a meeting, which the film recreates when Big John orders its rivals to dinner.

Before NASCAR, Cole Trickle had been a champion in what kind of racing?

Sprint cars made Cole a champion, but he admits he knows stock car racing only from watching it on ESPN.

At which track does Cole win his first race, using a slingshot from the outside line?

Darlington is where Cole finally passes Rowdy with the outside slingshot, after a run of crashes and blown engines.

Cole and Rowdy are both seriously hurt in a crash at which race?

The Firecracker 400 at Daytona leaves Cole in hospital in Daytona Beach, where he falls for his doctor, Claire Lewicki.

How do Cole and Rowdy settle their differences after Big John's warning?

Racing rental cars follows Big John's order that the two rivals drive to dinner together.

Why does Rowdy ask Cole to drive his car in the Daytona 500?

He needs an operation on a busted blood vessel, and his sponsors will only pick up the tab for the year if his car runs well.

What turns up in the oil hours before the Daytona 500, forcing Harry to change engines?

Metal in the oil signals a failing engine, so Harry's crew has to swap in a replacement just before Cole starts the Daytona 500.

How does Cole beat Russ on the last lap of the Daytona 500?

A crossover move to the inside fools Russ, who is sure Cole will go for his usual outside slingshot.

What did crew chief Harry Hogge quit NASCAR to avoid?

An investigation into a driver's death followed Buddy Bretherton's crash at Daytona, and Daland got NASCAR to drop it so Harry would return.

When Claire tells Cole control is an illusion, what does she call drivers?

Infantile egomaniacs, Claire says, since nobody knows what will happen next, not on a freeway and certainly not on a racetrack.

In Days of Thunder, how do the injured rivals Cole and Rowdy race each other while recovering?

In wheelchairs, the two injured rivals race through the hospital, and soon afterward they become friends.

Who wrote the screenplay for Days of Thunder?

Robert Towne shaped the story with Tom Cruise, but critics said the finished script leaned on stock plotting and racing cliches.

Tom Cruise pitched Days of Thunder after testing a stock car at Daytona in 1987 with which actor?

Paul Newman caught the racing bug making the film Winning and later founded his own professional racing team.

How does Cole Trickle make his first entrance in Days of Thunder?

On a motorcycle, Cole arrives, then vows to win next year's Daytona 500, a promise he keeps.

Which Days of Thunder shot was reportedly missed until filming wrapped?

Cole's car crossing the finish line at Daytona was reportedly left unshot until filming wrapped, amid on-set power struggles involving producer Don Simpson.

When Harry Hogge talks to the race car alone, what does he ask it to do?

Take care of Cole, Harry tells the car, warning that if it gets out of control it could hurt Cole, or Cole could hurt it.

In Days of Thunder, what does Harry show Cole he ruins by driving his own way?

His tires come back ruined from Cole's own laps but lightly worn from Harry's way, which runs six seconds faster.

Who composed the score, his first for a Jerry Bruckheimer production?

Zimmer said the whole reason he took the job was a subterfuge to work with guitarist Jeff Beck.

Who sang 'Show Me Heaven' on the Days of Thunder soundtrack?

Maria McKee found the demo's lyrics appalling and agreed to sing it only if she could rewrite the words.

Why does Harry say race car drivers stay away from funerals?

Reminders of danger are what drivers can't stand, Harry says, so the only time one goes to a funeral is when he's actually dead.

Which Guns N' Roses cover appeared on the soundtrack a year before Use Your Illusion II?

The soundtrack mix has different spoken-word responses from the album version.

What was Days of Thunder's only Academy Award nomination?

Best Sound brought one of 20 losing nominations for mixer Kevin O'Connell, who finally won an Oscar for Hacksaw Ridge.

Which film knocked Days of Thunder from No. 1 in July 1990?

Die Hard 2 took the top spot, and within months Simpson and Bruckheimer split from their studio, each side reportedly blaming the other over the film.

Which director called Days of Thunder 'the movie Grand Prix and Le Mans should have been'?

Quentin Tarantino said it had the fun of the early American International Pictures racing movies, and doesn't work if taken too seriously.

Which 1991 Simpsons episode took its title from Days of Thunder?

Saturdays of Thunder borrows the film's twist: a hospitalized Martin asks Bart to drive his soapbox racer, just as Rowdy asks Cole.

In Days of Thunder, why can't Cole pit when he radios in?

His crew is busy eating ice cream, they say, and Cole can come in and get one, though it wouldn't impress NASCAR.

In November 2024 a Days of Thunder sequel was reported alongside a sequel to which film?

Top Gun: Maverick's success convinced Cruise he could revive his racing film the same way, and Jonathan Levine later signed on to direct.

What was built at the Daytona hotel where Days of Thunder's producers stayed?

A private gym was the kind of excess critic Stephen Metcalf argued helped end Hollywood's era of all-powerful producers.

After Cole wins the Daytona 500, what does he ask Harry to do?

Walk with him, Cole asks, and Harry turns it into a foot race to Victory Lane.

What gets Cole and Harry fired by team owner Tim Daland?

Wrecking Russ's car after Russ put Cole into the wall at North Wilkesboro set off a brawl between the crews, and Daland fired them both.

Which driver's No. 42 Pontiac carried Cole Trickle's movie paint scheme for real from 1991 to 1994?

Kyle Petty raced it for team owner Felix Sabates, who still co-owned the No. 42 when Kyle Larson revived the look in 2015.

Days of Thunder's intimidating champion Rowdy Burns was largely based on which real driver?

Dale Earnhardt's clash with Geoff Bodine also inspired the scene where Big John makes the rivals drive to dinner together.