A sequel to the NASCAR blockbuster film Days of Thunder appears closer than ever. Sources say that a Hollywood writer has been making the rounds while attending races and meeting with teams.

Released in 1990, this blockbuster starred Tom Cruise as Cole Trickle, an open-wheel racer who transitions to NASCAR. It is in this film that Trickle finds love, experiences considerable adversity, and ultimately achieves success. Days of Thunder also starred the late Robert Duvall, Nicole Kidman, and Michael Rooker.

Adam Stern of the Sports Business Journal first reported the news. He cited four sources familiar with the matter who said that a Hollywood writer has attended multiple NASCAR Cup Series races, including last season’s championship at Phoenix Raceway and this year’s Daytona 500.

Additionally, SBJ reports that the writer has visited some race shops in the Charlotte area while meeting with some teams and drivers. The purpose is to help develop a plot for a Days of Thunder sequel.

These sources indicated to Stern that the writer is Will Staples. He has written on multiple projects spanning video games, television, and cinema. This includes Modern Warfare 3, Need for Speed: Rivals, one episode of the Shooter TV series, and the Michael B. Jordan-led action film Without Remorse. 

Staples follows many people on X, such as popular novelists Jack Carr, Don Bentley, and Jack Stewart. He also follows several people from the NASCAR world.

This list includes The Athletic’s Jeff Gluck, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Joey Logano, Carson Hocevar, Ryan Blaney, Kyle Busch, Jimmie Johnson, Denny Hamlin, and ESPN’s Marty Smith. He also follows Cruise, the star of the 1990 film.

Rumors about a Days of Thunder sequel have persisted for years. NASCAR has said it would be open to participating in the project while the film’s producer, Jerry Bruckheimer, said in July that he and Cruise would have “something really exciting for an audience” once they pulled it together.

NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon also weighed in. He spoke to media members early in the 2025 Cup Series season and said that he has talked to Cruise about the project.

“I’ve absolutely talked to Tom (Cruise) about it because I want him to do the project, and we (Hendrick Motorsports) want to be a part of it if it were to happen,” Gordon said in February 2025.

“He seems to like to tease it, so I don’t know. We’ll see what happens. If that doesn’t happen, I feel pretty confident there’s a project out there that will get NASCAR back on the big screen, if not just a really cool docuseries or something beyond even what we’re already seeing right now.”