HOLLYWOOD icon Tom Cruise left NASCAR boss Steve O’Donnell “shocked” after expressing an interest in racing at Daytona International Speedway.

The 64-year-old is set to reprise his role as NASCAR driver Cole Trickle in the sequel to 1990 movie Days of Thunder, which is expected to be released in the summer of 2028.

The project was officially announced in August – and that was when Cruise told racing chief O’Donnell that he wanted to compete in the ARCA Menards Series.

Speaking to Front Office Sports recently, the NASCAR CEO said: “I was shocked.

“He said we have an ARCA racing series which is kind of our national touring series but Tom wanted to go and race in one of those.

“I’m not sure that’s going to happen but he wants it to be as authentic as it can be.

“We’ll still see how the storylines… but all that’s playing out right now.”

O’Donnell also revealed that Cruise is optimistic about how much the movie will help to grow the sport.

He added: “If you look at the first one (movie) it showcased what NASCAR was at the time.

“And so in talking to Tom Cruise when he was at Daytona, it’s all about where we are today and going forward.

“Instead of a car being put together back at a garage it’s embracing the technology, embracing everything that goes into the sport.

“Tom’s message to us was: ‘I’m going to put you in front of an entirely new audience and you need to be ready.’

“There are some things that we’ll work together on. You know, do people understand the point system? How does the chase work? How long are your races? All these things to make sure that a new fan who may come out to the racetrack understands.

“Because for us this is a whole new open door for us to bring in new fans.”