DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Tom Cruise stood up from his chair in front of 40 race-car drivers, jumped over a row of potted plants and directly onto a stage.
It was his first of many stunts to come at Daytona International Speedway.
The 64-year-old Cruise announced Saturday he will reprise his role as NASCAR driver Cole Trickle in a follow-up to “Days of Thunder.” He waved the green flag on it hours before the Cup Series' regular-season finale at Daytona and then showed up for the pre-race drivers' meeting.
“It’s not just about racing,” Cruise told the packed room that included NASCAR executives, fans, corporate sponsors and military personnel. "It’s about the community and the people here. There’s something very special about racers and the whole community. It’s a culture, and I was very proud to be able to reflect that in the first ‘Days of Thunder,’ and I am honored to share it with the world. ...
“That’s basically what we’re going to really go for with this one. Give the audience that opportunity to understand what it is as a team, as a community, what it is for NASCAR, and the speed, the excitement and all that danger and stuff.”
Anne Hathaway will co-star as a team owner and engineer in the film scheduled to be released by Paramount Pictures on June 2, 2028.
Cruise will serve as a producer alongside Jerry Bruckheimer and Tommy Harper. Jonathan Levine is set to direct the script written by Will Staples. Bruckheimer, Harper and Staples joined Cruise at the drivers' meeting.
Cruise posed for pictures with anyone who asked and shook hands with military members before getting whisked away in a black SUV. He was expected to spend some time during the race on pit road — about as close to the action as possible without being behind the wheel.
The Hollywood Reporter reported in November 2024 that Cruise had talked to Paramount about a follow-up to his 1990 NASCAR racing film. The original was a critically panned summer blockbuster that was largely lampooned throughout the NASCAR industry for its exaggeration and overindulgence.
It has since become a cult favorite in NASCAR circles and is still quoted by race fans to this day.
“Rubbin’, son, is racin’” — the immortal line from crew chief Harry Hogge, played by Robert Duvall — still lives on today.
Riding high from his “Top Gun” fame and having grown up racing cars on the “back streets of Kentucky," Cruise had an idea for a movie based on fast cars and the characters who raced them. And so began the making of “Days of Thunder.”
Cole Trickle was loosely based on the late NASCAR driver Tim Richmond. Four-time Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon, now vice chairman at Hendrick Motorsports, openly lobbied for Cruise to bring a “Days of Thunder” sequel to life.
Gordon and Cruise have become friends over the years — Cruise showed up at a 2015 NASCAR banquet to honor the retiring Gordon — which could boost the prospect of Gordon and Hendrick Motorsports’ involvement in a sequel.
The movie introduced NASCAR to a wider audience that had very limited exposure to stock-car racing before that summer. There had been racing movies before — think “Thunder Road,” “The Last American Hero,” “Grand Prix,” “Stroker Ace,” or even “Smokey and the Bandit” — but none that had depicted NASCAR in such a mainstream style.
NASCAR has seen more swings and misses than checkered flags when it comes to its portrayal on the big or small screen since “Days of Thunder.” For every “Talladega Nights,” there are 10 more bombs such as comedian Kevin James’ ill-fated Netflix’s comedy series, “ The Crew.”
Cruise is a safe bet to deliver a hit — and to handle many of his own stunts. He did when in the original and still recalled a memorable one at Daytona.
“Last time I was at this track, actually, I was on the backstraight and I was shooting with two very heavy cameras traveling — I don’t know, 180 miles an hour — and suddenly the hood was off of the car,” Cruise said. "The sun is setting and I’m trying to get all my lines out before we lost the light.
“And, suddenly, the whole car was in flames. It turned from a barbecue to a bonfire on the backstraight. Couldn’t even get the crew to come in and help me just because radio (communications) didn’t work in the backstraight. I hear that’s still possible, correct? You guys didn’t fix that. Well, that’s good.”
See AP’s full auto racing coverage here
Actor Tom Cruise attends a drivers meeting before a NASCAR auto race at Daytona International Speedway, Saturday, Aug. 29, 2026, in Daytona Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Mark Long)
Actor Tom Cruise and movie producer Jerry Bruckheimer attend a drivers meeting before a NASCAR auto race at Daytona International Speedway, Saturday, Aug. 29, 2026, in Daytona Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Mark Long)
FILE - Tom Cruise arrives at the Warner Bros. presentation at CinemaCon on April 14, 2026, at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Known for two violent wrecks at Daytona International Speedway, Ryan Preece experienced a much different ride at NASCAR's hometown track Saturday night: a trip to victory lane.
Preece won the Cup Series regular-season finale at Daytona in overtime to secure the final playoff spot for Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing.
Preece, who ferociously flipped cars at Daytona in 2023 and again in 2025, moved to the front during a green-white-checkered finish when leader Zane Smith got bumped, started spinning and slammed into other cars on the last lap. Preece took the checkered flag under caution and edged Shane van Gisbergen for the 16th and final berth in the postseason finale.
“This is redemption,” said Preece, whose victory landed two RFK cars into the 16-driver Chase for the championship. Chris Buescher is the other.
“I’m just speechless right now,” Preece said. “Those guys, that 60 (car), we’re fighters. When you put our back against the wall, we swing hard. ... Last year, there were a lot of keyboard warriors saying I was nothing. Well, we just kicked their butts tonight.”
Preece expressed confidence all week, but he found himself needing a victory late to pass Shane van Gisbergen for the last playoff spot. Van Gisbergen finished 27th after pitting during the final caution and taking four tires.
“Shame we’re not in it,” said van Gisbergen, who won twice during the regular season but missed the playoffs under NASCAR's new format that puts more emphasis on season-long results that victories.
Bubba Wallace and Austin Cindric locked up the other two available spots. Wallace, Cindric, van Gisbergen, Preece and Brad Keselowski started the night vying for the final three spots in the 10-race Chase.
Wallace, who was nearly a lock to make the 16-driver field when the green flag dropped, claimed his spot with a seventh-place finish in the opening stage. Cindric avoided trouble all night, finished sixth and advanced without much fanfare.
Daniel Suarez finished second in the race, followed by Michael McDowell, Tyler Reddick and Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
Van Gisbergen won Stage 1 and created more of a cushion on Preece, who was caught up in a three-car crash as he neared the finish line. Preece raced his way back to the front in Stage 2 and picked up much-needed points with a second-place finish behind Ryan Blaney.
But it came down to the final lap. Preece needed to win to get in — and he pulled it off in dramatic fashion.
“I’m a racer. I know what it takes to build speed,” Preece said. “So every man and woman at RFK, thank you for giving me a rocket ship so I could go to the moon tonight.”
Tom Cruise is getting back behind the wheel for a follow-up to “Days of Thunder.” The 64-year-old Cruise announced Saturday at Daytona he will reprise his role as NASCAR driver Cole Trickle.
He said he wants to show audiences “the speed, the excitement and all that danger and stuff.”
Anne Hathaway will co-star as a team owner and engineer in the film scheduled to be released by Paramount Pictures on June 2, 2028.
Seven-time Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson will drive a familiar-looking No. 48 in his final Cup Series start. Johnson unveiled his paint scheme for his Toyota in the 2027 Daytona 500 by driving a ceremonial lap around the track before Saturday’s race. The gray-and-blue scheme melds the three main sponsors during Johnson’s record-setting racing career: Lowe’s, Ally and Carvana.
Johnson’s final start will come in the 69th running of the Daytona 500, scheduled for Feb. 21, 2027. Hendrick Motorsports loaned Johnson the No. 48 for his last ride.
“Seeing this car for the first time brings back a lifetime of memories,” Johnson said.
Riley Herbst was scratched from the race because of “lingering effects” from a crash last weekend. Harrison Burton replaced Herbst in the No. 35 Toyota and finished 12th.
Herbst was involved in a crash at New Hampshire Motor Speedway last Sunday, with his car backing into the outside barrier before being struck again.
The 10-race Chase for the championship begins at Darlington Raceway next Sunday.
See AP’s full auto racing coverage here
Ryan Preece, center, celebrates with his crew after winning the NASCAR auto race at Daytona International Speedway, Saturday, Aug. 29, 2026, in Daytona Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
Chase Elliott (9) leads Ryan Preece (60) through the front stretch at the half way point of the NASCAR auto race at Daytona International Speedway, Saturday, Aug. 29, 2026, in Daytona Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
Actor Tom Crusie exits the building after attending a drivers meeting before a NASCAR auto race at Daytona International Speedway, Saturday, Aug. 29, 2026, in Daytona Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
Shane Van Gisbergen (97) comes in for a pit stop during the NASCAR auto race at Daytona International Speedway, Saturday, Aug. 29, 2026, in Daytona Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
Kyle Larson (5) and Chase Briscoe (19) lead a group through the front stretch during early laps in the NASCAR auto race at Daytona International Speedway, Saturday, Aug. 29, 2026, in Daytona Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
