$600,000,000 Hollywood Hunk confirms NASCAR-themed movie Days of Thunder’s sequel

The NASCAR-themed Days of Thunder movie could return to the big screen with a sequel. Per Sports Business Journal, Tom Cruise confirmed talks about a rerun of the 1990 movie, which would see him return to the racetrack behind a stock car.

The report emerged while Cruise, worth $600 million (according to Celebrity Net Worth), was promoting his new film, Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning. A sequel to Days of Thunder is one of the projects he's considering, including another Top Gun movie.

Motorsports reporter Adam Stern shared the Hollywood star's confirmation of such a project on his X account.

“Tom Cruise has confirmed that he’s in talks to shoot a sequel to 'Days of Thunder,' as the chances of the @NASCAR-themed movie’s return appear to be increasing,” Stern wrote.

In the 1990 movie, Tom Cruise, who played Cole Trickle, was a rookie looking to prove himself in the stock car racing series. He eventually formed a rivalry with Rowdy Burns (Michael Rooker), creating intense racing action, including crashes at tracks like the Daytona International Speedway.

Considering the three-decade gap between the original and a possible sequel, Cruise would drive an entirely new stock car. NASCAR currently fields the Next-Gen Car (Generation 7), a product of years of technological advancement, including safety innovations spurred by unfortunate incidents like Dale Earnhardt Sr.'s passing in 2001.

The sanctioning body hasn't commented on the matter. However, Jerry Bruckheimer, the producer of the new F1 film with Brad Pitt and the original Days of Thunder, is reportedly also taking part in a possible sequel.

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NASCAR's Jeff Gordon attends Tom Cruise's premiere in New York

NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon showed support for Tom Cruise's new Mission: Impossible film earlier this week. He attended the premiere in New York City with his wife, Ingrid Vandebosch, and son, Leo Benjamin.

Gordon shared the red carpet moment on X with his family and Tom Cruise, which he accompanied with a caption that reads:

“Thanks for rolling out the red carpet, @TomCruise!”

The Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning is marketed as the film series' final instalment. The movie, led by Tom Cruise playing Ethan Hunt, is concluding an almost three-decade run, which stems from the first film released in 1996.

Jeff Gordon and Tom Cruise are long-time friends who met sometime in the 90s. The former was even introduced at the 2015 NASCAR Awards Banquet by the Hollywood star for his farewell speech.

The Californian concluded his career with four Cup Series championships (1995, 1997, 1998, and 2001), all of which were earned behind the wheel of the #24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. He also won 93 Cup races, third on the all-time list behind Richard Petty (200) and David Pearson (105).

Jeff Gordon (far left) and Tom Cruise (far right) during the 2015 NASCAR Awards Banquet - Source: Getty

Today, Gordon is the vice chairman at Hendrick Motorsports. He oversees the operations of the team's four Cup drivers, including Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott, Alex Bowman, and William Byron, who recently signed a four-year extension.