Rumours about a Days of Thunder sequel can be traced back to the post-race media interaction of the Dayton 500 in 2025, when Jeff Gordon said he wanted to see it happen. Now, after getting their first win of the season, Gordon’s comments have reignited the buzz again.

In a media interaction post the Martinsville race, Gordon was asked about updates to the Days of Thunder sequel, to which he didn’t confirm or deny anything, but pointed out that he was aware of the discussions and pitching going on. He also recalled a conversation he had with Tom Cruise a few years ago.

“I don't have any new updates or insight. I mean, I just assume that whatever was taking place was building a storyline or some characters, something to go do, maybe some sort of a pitch to some studios or whoever. I don't really know a whole lot more than that. I'm certainly optimistic and hopeful."

While he did not have any updates, Gordon is counting on Cruise's word that he gave the Hendricks executive a few years back.

"I saw Tom one or two years ago. He actually brought it up then. We were just laughing a bit," said Gordon. "He said, ‘No, I'm serious, this is going to happen.’ When Tom Cruise says that, you take it seriously. That would be exciting to see the sport to be able to be a part of that."

The original movie from 1990 had characters based on real-life NASCAR figures. Tom Cruise’s character, Cole Trickle, is based on Tim Richmond, who drove the No.46 Chevrolet, and later the No.51 Mello Yello Chevrolet. Cole’s No.46 car is sponsored by City Chevrolet, a real-life car dealership owned by Rick Hendrick.

Tim Daaland, who recruits Cole into NASCAR, is based on Rick Hendrick himself. Since starting the team, he has won a record 15 championships, and it has been due to his leadership, which is on display even today.

This Is A Marathon, Not A 10k Race.

In the same interaction, Gordon and Alan Gustafson were also asked about Rick Hendrick’s leadership, on which the No.9 crew chief decided to spill some beans.

He mentioned that Hendrick personally calls the crew from time to time. In this case, he was all praises for Hendrick’s perspective on the team’s long-term performance.

“He asked me to deliver a message to the team: ‘This is a marathon, not a 10k race, and we're in it for the long run.’ Regardless of the way it starts, it's about the way it finishes, and he wanted to take as much pressure off us as possible,” he said.

With the victory at Martinsville, Chase Elliott occupies the fourth spot in the standings, with 255 points in his tally. William Byron is just one spot below him, while Kyle Larson sits in the ninth spot. All three drivers have moved up a spot each.

As for Alex Bowman, he remains sidelined after being diagnosed with vertigo and is likely to miss Bristol as well.

With just seven races over, many had started to get worried about Hendrick Motorsports. But their win at Martinsville is a sign to the rest of the field that they are still around and could win races on any given day.

Read more at the RFK Racing Digest!

Written by

Aaradhya Singh