'Days of Thunder' Was More Real Than You RememberChris Graythen - Getty ImagesDays of Thunder 2 is scheduled for release in June 2028, but it will be interesting to see if it draws on actual NASCAR events as did the original movie that was released in June 1990, and if some of the same protocols are followed.When Days of Thunder was filmed in late 1989 and early 1990, NASCAR required the cars obtaining race footage to qualify for the event. Then NASCAR President Bill France Jr. was always concerned they might interfere with the actual race, and he made it quite clear they had better not interfere with drivers competing for a victory.Five NASCAR drivers as well as several Hendrick Motorsports crew members were involved in the filming. Hut Stricklin was Tom Cruise's driving coach, and along with Tommy Ellis and Rick Mast drove the stunt and backup cars during filming. Greg Sacks and Bobby Hamilton drove the cars that competed in the NASCAR Cup events. After the movie, Sacks, Hamilton, and Stricklin continued as regular Cup competitors.Days of Thunder filming at Phoenix International Raceway in 1989.RacingOne - Getty ImagesCarolyn Carrier, whose father designed the original Bristol International Raceway (now Bristol Motor Speedway) on a napkin and then built it, was NASCAR's liaison with the movie. Dick Beaty was NASCAR's Cup Series director at the time and ruled the garage with an iron fist. While filming at Phoenix, he wouldn't allow one of the producers in the garage because he was wearing shorts. He told him he could enter the garage when he was wearing long pants.AdvertisementAdvertisementIt was Robert Towne and Tom Cruise who used actual events, with a little poetic license at times, to create a story that Towne then adapted into the Days of Thunder screenplay.Crew chief Harry Hogge, portrayed by Robert Duvall, was based on veteran NASCAR championship crew chief Harry Hyde. Cruise's character was based on Tim Richmond. Fred Thompson was Bill France Jr., and Randy Quaid portrayed Rick Hendrick, even though his character's name was Tim Daland.Hyde never built a Cup car in a barn, nor did he live in a large, two-story farm house like in the movie. However, he did own all of the property that's now the site of Hendrick Motorsports' campus, and he was on his tractor when Hendrick approached him for the first time about heading up a race team for him. Hyde also told me that the first time he ever saw Richmond, the Ohio native made his appearance on a motorcycle just like Cruise did in the movie.Tom Cruise (left) talking with Geoff Bodine.RacingOne - Getty ImagesRichmond's girlfriend in 1986 was an ophthalmologist, not a neurologist as the role played by Nicole Kidman.AdvertisementAdvertisementThe Daytona meeting was based on the one France had with Hendrick, Richard Childress, Geoff Bodine, and Dale Earnhardt after the 1987 All-Star race/Coca-Cola 600 weekend.At Darlington, Hyde really did tell Benny Parsons not to pit because the crew was eating ice cream.Hyde had trouble keeping tires on Richmond's cars because he abused them. North Wilkesboro was where Hyde told Richmond to run 60 laps his way and then 60 laps the way Hyde wanted, and he told Richmond he would beat him every time. It was that event that created a strong, trusting bond between the two men that resulted in Richmond winning seven races in 1986.The track where Hyde told Richmond he had special tires and he could pass on the outside was Pocono and he was referencing turn three.Tom Cruise (No. 46) races with NASCAR driver Rick Wilson during filming.RacingOne - Getty ImagesHendrick's Lake Norman house was used in the movie when character Rowdy Burns talked about the blood clot on his brain. The driver who actually had a blood clot on his brain was Buddy Baker.AdvertisementAdvertisementBobby Wawak slammed into the wall head-on at Daytona in the first qualifying race in 1988. The sudden stop was so violent that he suffered detached retinas in both eyes. Unlike Cruise in the movie who regained his eyesight after a crash, Wawak never raced again.Tom Cruise on set.Sunset Boulevard - Getty ImagesI'm always asked about the female state trooper scene in the movie. It didn't occur that way, but Hyde and his team did hire a woman to pull a joke on Richmond.The NASCAR community was treated to a Days of Thunder movie premiere at a theater in Charlotte, North Carolina. It was a wonderful evening, and as we exited the theater local TV crews were awaiting our reviews.Days of Thunder 2 is scheduled for release nearly 40 years after the first movie. A lot has happened since then. The barn used in the movie remains beside Highway 150 west of Mooresville, North Carolina, but Hendrick has sold the Lake Norman house. Also, several members of the racing community whose stories were told are no longer with us.AdvertisementAdvertisementNASCAR has also changed, but in some ways, it has remained the same. It's still a community that cares about its people and its product. Cruise acknowledged that in the drivers meeting prior to Saturday night's Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona when he said, "It's not just about racing. It's about the community and the people here. It's a culture… We respect you all."