Cinema and NASCAR don’t often cross paths, but when they do, it’s like a perfectly timed pit stop!. Look at Cars, Pixar’s 2006 love letter to the racetrack. Richard Petty, the one and only “King” of NASCAR, stepped up to voice Strip Weathers, a character built around his legendary No. 43 Plymouth Superbird. At first, Petty wasn’t sold on doing an animated flick—sounded like a far cry from burning rubber at Daytona.
But director John Lasseter laid out the story, hooked him with the vision, and suddenly Petty was bringing his larger-than-life charm to kids who’d never seen a checkered flag. He once said, “Even now, people bring me lots of things to autograph that they got from the original Cars movie. Kids who never even knew I once drove a race car know me from the voice in those movies. That’s pretty special.” That’s the kind of legacy that remains etched forever in the hearts and minds of people.
Now, Hollywood’s back at the racetrack, with a heavy-hitting director tackling the Earnhardt documentary, a project that’s got the NASCAR world talking and the story of Dale Earnhardt Sr. roaring back to life.
A storytelling master steps into NASCAR
In a sit-down with Dale Earnhardt Jr. on Dirty Mo Media, Oscar-winning director Ron Howard spilled the beans on why he took on the Earnhardt documentary. “It just so ticked all the boxes of really potentially great storytelling, and people who don’t know anything about NASCAR or much about it, never thought too much about it, are gonna be drawn into it and understand it in a lot more visceral, emotional way. So for them, it’s gonna be a real surprise. So if you go into it because you know you love the sport, we wanted to deliver on that. If you go into it ‘cause it’s a famous name and you hear it’s good and it seems to be about a family, we wanna deliver on that as well, and this series certainly does, but you also then wanna say, ‘Wow, you had no idea what NASCAR was about, did you? Wow, well, look here, you know?’” said Howard.
The documentary’s been kicking up dust with its raw, emotional pull. Michael Waltrip, a former driver who’s seen the sport’s highs and lows, called it a game-changer, saying it uncovers new layers of Dale Sr.’s story that even longtime fans didn’t know. Mike Davis, who’s been tight with the Earnhardt family for over 20 years, was floored: “I’ve worked with this family for more than two decades… I thought wrong. This docuseries contains footage I had never seen, stories I had never heard, and depths I never realized.”
Howard’s film doesn’t just preach to the choir—it pulls in folks who’ve never tailgated at Talladega, making them feel the weight of the Earnhardt name. Dale Jr. brought up the challenge of tackling real-life stories, referencing Howard’s work on Apollo 13. “I think I read somewhere where you were a bit apprehensive or a little challenged because there’s some limitation to creativity because these are real events. You have to abide by the guidelines of actually what happened,” he said.
Whether you know everything or nothing about Dale Earnhardt – anyone can get lost in the story the show tells. @RealRonHoward joins the @DaleJr Download to talk ‘Earnhardt’ and more stories from his career.
Apple: https://t.co/XdondFHhxK
Spotify: https://t.co/BQDQ81xD48… pic.twitter.com/JggQtaO9ll
— Dirty Mo Media (@DirtyMoMedia) June 4, 2025
Howard leaned into it saying, “You have to go into it with a point of view and an idea about what you think the story is, whether it’s about a life that’s already been lived or events unfolding, but you have to be ready to be wrong. You have to be ready to be surprised and embrace that, and in many of the films that we have already worked on, I’ve recognized that more than halfway through, there’s a whole other aspect to this story that no one thought about that’s revealed itself.”
Howard’s no stranger to switching gears. He cut his teeth on crowd-pleasers like Night Shift, Splash, and The Paper, dishing out laughs before diving into the deep end with Apollo 13 in 1995, a white-knuckle take on the botched moon mission. That film flipped a switch, leading to heavy-hitters like A Beautiful Mind, Cinderella Man, and Frost/Nixon, all rooted in real lives and real stakes.
Then came Rush in 2013, a pulse-pounding look at the 1976 Formula One clash between James Hunt and Niki Lauda. That wasn’t Howard’s first lap around a racetrack, and it showed he could capture the soul of speed. With the Earnhardt project, he’s found new corners of a story NASCAR fans thought they knew inside out.
Is Cole Trickle Ready for a Comeback?
The Earnhardt documentary’s got the garage buzzing, but whispers of Days of Thunder sequel are revving things up even more. Think about Tom Cruise sliding back into Cole Trickle’s firesuit, tearing up the track again.
Jeff Gordon, Hendrick Motorsports’ vice chairman and a guiding hand for Chase Elliott, can’t hide his excitement. “I’ve absolutely talked to Tom about it because I want him to do the project, and we want to be a part of it if it were to happen,” Gordon told NASCAR.com. He’s dreaming of a sequel that channels the original’s grit while showcasing the slick, modern world of NASCAR.
The first Days of Thunder took cues from real racers like Tim Richmond, with Cruise’s Trickle capturing the sport’s rebel heart. Cameos from legends like Richard Petty and Rusty Wallace gave it that authentic NASCAR flavor, rooting the story in the rough-and-tumble days of the sport’s prime.
Now, with Paramount reportedly kicking the tires on a sequel, there’s a shot to bring that energy back, blending Cruise’s obsession with real-deal stunts and the high-stakes drama of today’s NASCAR.
The post Oscar-Winning Director Reveals the Unexpected Reason He Took On Dale Jr.’s ‘Earnhardt’ Project appeared first on EssentiallySports.