Days of Thunder

In late 1991, most likely after the DieHard 500, I went with my Mom and my younger brother Miles to see "Days of Thunder" at the Campanil Theater, a venerable cinema in my hometown of Antioch, California. Although the movie was released the year before, the Campanil’s tight budget prevented them from showing films released more recently. At any rate, Miles and I were both awestruck with the movie, featuring Tom Cruise as a devil-may-care driver entering the competitive Winston Cup Series, struggling to succeed against all odds. The intense racing scenes made a huge impression on me, making me hope the Winston Cup races on television would be just as exciting. Along the way, the movie also featured such actual drivers as Rusty Wallace, Harry Gant and Neil Bonnett, further expanding the list of drivers I would come to recognize while watching Winston Cup racing.