Dale Earnhardt Jr. recalls Tom Cruise visiting dad’s shop ahead of ‘Days of Thunder,’ praises effort

Dale Earnhardt Jr. revealed that Tom Cruise visited his father’s shop before filming the hit racing movie Days of Thunder. On Dale Jr. Download, Earnhardt reflected on Cruise visiting Dale Earnhardt before it was Dale Earnhardt Incorporated.

“I was really young. This was before they had ever started shooting Days of Thunder,” Dale Earnhardt Jr. said. Earnhardt then mentioned that his dad told him and his sister (Kelly Earnhardt Miller) that Cruise was coming by to talk to him. He then said that when Cruise arrived, he and his dad went to his office to meet.

“And they talked for an hour, hour and a half,” Earnarhdt said. “And then they came out, shook hands, I got to say hey to Tom Cruise, and he leaves. Tom Cruise basically came by to sit down and talk to Dad, because Dad’s character was Rowdy Burns. They used a lot of the same vibe of Dad to do the Rowdy Burns character.”

Dale Earnhardt Jr. reveals what Tom Cruise said to Dale Earnhardt

Earnhardt then revealed a bombshell about his dad and the Days of Thunder film. “Dad even said after that conversation that in the conversation with Tom Cruise, Tom mentioned that Dad should play the role,” Earnhardt said. And Dad was like, the way this sounds is he’s the bad guy, and, ‘I don’t want to be the villain. That’s not my style,’ and Dad is not an actor. That would have not been as good as what the end result was. I remember vividly dad saying that they had a conversation around the possibility of him actually playing the role, but I don’t think that is absolutely realistic to be honest with you.”

Ultimately, Cruise visited Earnhardt Sr. to “pick dad’s brain.” Dale Earnhardt Jr. then said, “Tom drove race cars, went to Daytona, and drove a race car in a test with Paul Newman. …I’m confident if they make Days of Thunder again, it’ll be a great representation of really where the sport is and how it is because he will do the homework to go this is authentic.”

Earnhardt talked about this because it was confirmed that a Days of Thunder sequel is happening. The NASCAR Hall of Famer said he wants to see Cruise and the rest of the original cast back in the new film.