Some rare behind-the-scenes pictures from Tom Cruise's time preparing for and shooting NASCAR film Days of Thunder have been unearthed over the holidays.
The shots went up on Hendrick Motorsports' website on Christmas Day, including some pictures of Cruise and team owner Rick Hendrick racing together at Road Atlanta in 1987.
The gallery includes 23 'new' stills, including a couple of pictures from that Road Atlanta race, captioned: "In 1987, Tom Cruise and Rick Hendrick joined forces, competing together in the IMSA Firestone Firehawk Grand Sports endurance race."
The album is captioned: "We recently discovered some rarely seen photos surrounding the 'Days of Thunder' shoot and as our Christmas gift to you, are sharing them! Check it out!"
Cruise hoping to film Days of Thunder sequel
Cruise has been hinting at a desire to revisit his role as Cole Trickle in a Days of Thunder sequel, even admitting this summer on an Australian talk show that a follow-up is being discussed.
Producer Jerry Bruckheimer said on his media tour for the F1 movie that Cruise 'wants to do another Days of Thunder', adding: "There's always new technologies, new ways to do things and see things.
"Tom (Cruise) is such a great individual. (He) comes up with phenomenal ideas. We'll have something really exciting for an audience once we pull it together."
Cruise, of course, will be some 40 years older in any possible sequel compared to the mid-20s rising star shown in the pictures on Hendrick's website, but has shown his ability to play physically demanding roles in the final Mission Impossible films, as well as in Top Gun: Maverick.
Bruckheimer's work with Brad Pitt as a 60-year-old F1 driver in 2025's smash hit, too, will likely prove helpful in that aspect.
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