Abandoned Days of Thunder Cars Reunited with Original Crew Member! (Special Effects Evidence)
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- čas přidán 29. 01. 2024
- These cars were used in the filming of the famous Tom Cruise NASCAR movie "Days of Thunder" and left to rot in the woods until recently! One of them had explosives in it to be used in the flip scene and some other "modifications" too! Joe Jackson of Classic Pontiac Rescue has been tracking down these abandoned movie cars which have all been rotting away in a field or in the woods for the last 34 years. They are too rotted away to restore but will at least be saved from total destruction. Randy Willingham was one of 3 body shop crewmen that painted all of the cars used in production. He brought a mostly destroyed 46 Superflo car used in Cole Trickle's flip scene that has evidence of pyrotechnics and mechanisms in place to help it "crash" harder still visible!
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It's a shame nobody pulled these out of the dirt 20 years ago when the two of them could have actually been restored. How old were you the first time you saw Days of Thunder?
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WTF?! i can't believe it man! this is proper disgusting. i was 6 when the movie came out.
Around 19 i guess.. movie came out in 1990 or so i think
i was 6 when it came out. honestly that's proper disgusting to have left these to rot in the woods. (don't understand why my 1st comment got deleted?)
10
18, saw it in the theater. Later worked on movie crews and knew a few of the Teamsters on Days in Florida.
I think you two are doing some of the most important videos on CZcams in the racing/automotive racing history
I agree and have said that several times on previous videos!
I 100% agree !
100%
TRUTH
We need these stories before more of the men & women behind them are gone
Man I appreciate you having us there to let dad tell his story. It's really refreshing to know the hard work he didn't get credit for at the time is still remembered and appreciated. Look forward to seeing you again. Hopefully we'll find more of these
It sounds like he has more stories to tell, and he is a great storyteller!
@@justinwise6950 he certainly does. We filmed a lot more stories than ended up here. I'm sure we'll do another video
Enjoyed hearing your Dad's stories and his hard work . Very much appreciate him taking the time to tell us his history. Thankyou .
Appreciate you guys coming down and checking out the cars. Come on down anytime
Good times brother seeing this and your vids diggin' em' out!
Glad you put it together! Go find an Exxon car now 😂
Trust me man, it’s my main goal lol
Good save on the cars bro!!! Well played you got the love 🇬🇧🤘🏻
I was just going to share this with ya Joe.
Randy’s son Dylan and I went to school together, Randy and my grandpa James mason work on set together for days of thunder. It’s nice to hear these stories and see the people behind it get some recognition. Randy’s a great guy. Definitely subscribing to the channel
Welcome to the team!
In the movie when the crew was around Tom in the hospital scene were Cole thinks the Dr is a good time girl, & all the guys bust out laughing, who is the guy with distinct laugh. Whomever it is, reminds me if my the way my Papaw laughed. Do you know what I'm asking about & whom it may be
This is absolutely priceless. Dale Jr said they were filming at the barn for weeks. Long hours a day. And there’s what maybe a few minutes of the barn in the movie.
One of my favorite movies of all time
Watched days of thunder when it was released to movie theaters.
I loved nascar at that age and this movie was amazing. Great Blend of movie and racing.
I shared the Dave Marcis video with my 81 year old Dad. He said it was so good he saved it to watch again later and stressed he normally doesnt do that. Keep up the great work!
That’s awesome thanks man!
Loving these historical videos with key people who were there. Keeps it alive and educates those who never knew what things were like back in the day. I lived in Daytona at the time and remember that Scottys Lumber, where they held and serviced these cars. Thanks for all the hard work you guys do.
Where is the building? I’d like to see it next time I’m in town
@coorsbandit5212 If I remember correctly it was the one in South Daytona on US 1. It's now a furniture co.
American Freight Furniture, Mattress, Appliance
maps.app.goo.gl/3NS3a7gcUCbg49geA
I laugh at the fireworks stories. We went to Pennsylvania to fly radio controlled airplanes in the 90’s. my two preteen boys had never seen bottle rockets or Small sticks before. The local boys taught them how to make every kind of can fly and how to blow up stuff. They are almost 40 and still talk about those trips.
Keep up the great work!!!
You're doing a great job of keeping the old spirit of Nascar alive. Racing was fun until around 2008. Then it went downhill Whoever is running or should I say ruining Nascar is in idiot. Days of Thunder was entertaining but was a far stretch from reality. Hearing all the tricks and what they had to do keep these cars going. And stuntman with no racing experience was awesome . Great video!
Once the cot came out my own interest declined until we didn’t go to races anymore after 2010. I didn’t start looking at it again at all until 2014 ish and not seriously until 2019
One of my favorite movies. Absolutely a classic. Never knew they filmed during an actual race. Love yalls videos, I've watched a bunch of them. The interviews with the old legends are awesome. Back then really was the glory days of racing
This has always been my favorite movie. This is pretty awesome to see enthusiasts rediscovering these cars
This is so rad - cool to hear Randy’s stories about the cars and filming and how Joe is bringing them back inside after all this time. I’d love to hear of what Randy knows about the DoT car I bought a few years ago. Joe sent me a copy of that group pic as it’s the Kodak car in the upper left corner. I had a local guy who worked with NASCAR teams in the 80s and he thought my chassis might have been an old Holman Moody car, or a Ford in general, but mine has a Banjo switch plate. Still working to figure out what the car was before the movie, but tracking down the history of these cars and meeting new people is so much fun.
I will be glad to ask him anything youd like to know
@@dylanwillingham8100 that would be awesome! Really just any information on it would be great! I talked to a guy that worked at Hendrick at the time and he gave me some cool info on it and a video/photos of it at the Days of Thunder auction after the movie wrapped and everything. But I don’t know much about it mechanically or what it was before it was skimmed as a Kodak Olds. It’s funny bc it has a huge square cut out of the hood and rewelded like something was done to it too.
I'll see what he remembers and if I have any photos myself of the car. He says you'll have to bare with him as that was 34 years ago and a stroke. But I will see what I can find out
@@dylanwillingham8100 I’d be grateful for him even taking the time to look for pics or anything - I really appreciate it! Thanks for replying too!
The Kodak movie car? I talked to the guy who claims he purchased it from hendrick after filming was over. He told me it was originally a Leo Jackson gant car before the movie if I recall correctly
This is amazing. So glad someone is trying to keep this stuff properly documented and preserved 🤟🏻
I was 26 when Days of Thunder came out. This stuff doesn’t get old. Thanks for all your hard work.
It's been a while since I have said "Damn, that's over already?" Great stuff.
Stapleton42 , I very much appreciate what you and your wife are doing to save the Old School NASCAR HISTORY!!!! As a ol Southerner who regularly was taken to NASCAR races in the 60s, 70s, 80s 90s and some in the early 2000s...It is great hearing these stories and the real people who were there !!!!!!! Thankyou !!!!
thanks man we appreciate you both!
Appreciate you going to see them, it means a lot to some people. i like it how they dragged them out & put them inside now. i saw days of thunder in 2019. not kidding. i was 55 back in 2019.
It’s good to see somebody that has the passion end up with these. So much stuff ends up destroyed because people have intensions but never follow thru. Love what you do and a hug for Shelby.♥️👍🏼🙏
Thanks man!!
Man it is so ironic to see you stopping by this place. I drove by here and seen the bobby labonte chassis out front and decided to stop by and see if anyone was home. The owner was more than happy to open the doors and let me check out the showroom/talk to him about what he does. Really really interesting group of guys and its so cool to see you stopping in and filming!
Where is this place North Carolina?
When Tom Cruise was just getting started in race cars. Tom was being trained in a 2 seater Datsun @ Lime Rock Park CT. His instructor was Paul Newman. I saw Tom several times at the track. Paul also instructed Marsha Mason at LRP. Tom was very kind and very interested in learning from the best.
Days of Thunder changed my life in a cool way. Growing up in Ohio, NASCAR wasn't really a big deal. The movie was my 1st exposure to it. After watching the movie around 11 years old, I became a huge fan. Eventually when I got older I ended up working for NASCAR at the headquarters in Daytona Beach for 7 years. All that because of the movie turning me into a fan. 🏁
I'm so happy you went down to look at these cars. I seen thos gentleman online recently and wanted to learn more about thier history.
As always, thank you both for all that you do.
God Bless my friends
I was 14 when that film came out, thanks for this. One of my favorite movies.
That feller was awesome. What awesome stories
Don't ever stop doing what you're doing here Mitch. Videos like this is golden! So glad you were able to do this!
I just wonder was this facility a car dealership at one point and now restoring Pontiacs? If so that's awesome!
Preserving racing and restoring Pontiacs! Best of both world right there....
Keep up the great work!
Yes it was a car dealership! Neat building he has there
That guy has some cool stories I could listen to him for hours!
Very interesting episode. Thanks Stapleton Auto Works for the great video. You guys rock!! God Bless.
Imagine if those unused days of thunder film reels still exist!
There a few here on CZcams
As someone who has been involved with the film industry for few decades, I can say with certainty that most, if not all, of the unused footage is simply thrown away within a few years after the movie is released. Mainly because each shot with any sound or music in it is actually two rolls of 35mm film... one is the actual picture and the other is a full magnetic coated sound roll. ("Picture and track") Nowadays everything is done digitally so some unused stuff may be saved for a longer period. Back when DoT was made, it was all film and mag track for the workflow.
A surprising amount of footage recently showed up at Getty Images of all places. They have b-roll footage from several movies, including Days of Thunder.
As a guy that grew up during the make of that movie this is awesome as it gets! I live in VA and we have a big amusement park called kings Dominion. When that movie came out they created the days of thunder ride. It was ahead of it's time .
Hey, I've been on that ride!
A good friend of mine was an extra in DoT. He's in the scene where Cole is testing using Rowdy's car. He's waaaaay back in the background, but that's his claim to fame.
Awesome hearing these behind the scenes stories. I'm sure he could go on for hours with more, and I'd be happy to sit here and listen to them. Please give us more!
Mitchell & Logan come through yet again with another Banger. Thank you both!
The Best NASCAR related content on the Tube! Y’all manage to let these guys open up and tell their stories in a very natural way.
And the stories they tell!
I had both of these cars as Hardee’s happy meal toys as a kid. There was a family convenience store in town and the owner had those cars on display in his store. He started giving them to me because he knew I was a race fan. Good memories.
Had these not been rescued they would have eventually turned into dust.
Hopefully they can at least be reskinned to make them look better.
Thanks for the video Mitchell and Logan. I remember walking in to Tweeter and watching Days of Thunder on a Theater surround sound setup when the movie first came out. Definitely one of my top five movies.
Thank you two for going to video those cars and getting the stories behind them. Keep up the great work. God bless...
When he said " ya go and do something cause you dont know any better" I thought of this journey you guys are on. Keep it coming!
My Dad took me to see Days of Thunder in theaters when I was 7 and it was one of the greatest experiences of my life
Awesome video. I love Randy's stories. I remember when days of thunder came out and it seemed like bs to me even as a kid but I enjoyed it . Even today I watch it occasionally
Oh my goodness😂
this is probably my favorite video of all time on your channel❤
the story at the end about the FX guys
priceless😂❤😂
Thanks Mitchell and Logan,that’s made my day seeing these! I have been watching the bloke who rescued these cars here and there,but this is pure gold!! Remember this was one of the questions I asked you if you could track down any of the days of thunder cars and here we are!!! Brilliant absolutely brilliant to have them back where people like us lot can see appreciate and enjoy what we love “history”!!! Keep it up guys look forward to the next one…… 🇬🇧 🤘🏻
Thanks man!!
Amazing vid again you guys. Great work on helping save these NASCAR pieces of history.
Thanks for sharing. The more of these cars that are saved and preserved the better. Some the most iconic movie cars.
You guys just continue to impress. Thanks
Our pleasure!
Thank you for this video !!! Please preserve these cars the way they are!!!
Went to the Phoenix race when they filmed from the race then Daytona in February, glad to see this, great memories
.
The music score for days of thunder was all time epic.
it really was
Awesome footage! I was thinking that I sent you a photo of all the Days of Thunder cars sitting on Hendricks shop lot, when I sent the Wallace shop photos. I was cool to see them all just sitting there. As I've said before, those were great times before the popularity exploded. I could walk in any shop (without restrictions) and could have taken any sheet metal home.They literally just threw it in dumpsters.
This is just incredible. Makes me happy.
Nice find! Not easy to understand, but interesting. 😊 Greatings from an 1:10 RC enthusiast and Volkswagen air cooled driver.
This is awesome seeing and hearing about the history of what happened to the cars from the movie
Man so much great information. Fantastic ol stories!
Amazing to see these old cars from the movie again and hear some of the stories about them.
I used to help clean the pool of this guy who always had old cars and one day last year he showed us the superflo car he had in his garage was pretty cool
is it a real one or a recreation?
What a great video this is still today one of my favorite movies. Y'all had some great questions I appreciate the video. I love when he said he drove the car to the track too funny. Thanks😊
Been so busy I've missed your last few, but I'll be watching them too...! Thanks for sharing... Keep up your awesomeness...!
Appreciate the effort as always. Man that one guy sounds like he has so much disdain for the movie. I'd be curious for an interview with him
Thsnks for showing us those cars .. days of thunder is a good movie n it brings back good memories .
Days of Thunder can't be replicated or remade these days. They'll use CGI for everything, and the CGI cars and wrecks will look off. Its incredible they used actual cars for all of the racing shots.
This is awesome! Thank you for sharing this with us. Childhood memories. I could talk to these people for days 🇺🇸
Glad you enjoyed it!
What a great movie, thanks you guys!
Thanks again for another great video. I live less than 10 miles from this location. I stopped by there to talk to Joe about another car they have and (surprise) saw these cars sitting in the show room. I believe Rhett Thackston and his crew did a lot of the prep work on a lot of the cars used in the movie. Rhett was a former Busch series car owner from upstate South Carolina. He had some good drivers and fast cars over the years.
Wow, totally enthralled by these stories. Great video
Thanks for another wonderful video I enjoyed it thanks for preserveing NASCAR history
These cars literally coming out of the woodwork is super cool. This movie was so cool when I was a kid. I met Randy 18 years ago when I worked at Carolina Driveline. Dylan was just a kid then. I still talk to Dylan pretty regularly. We just did a video on our channel checking out the barn from the movie
I seen this movie when it first came out and still love it to this day. TY for sharing this with us folks.
Great video I appreciate all you do thank you both
Love this. I remember watching Day's of Thunder on TBS as a kid. That movie was on once a week I swear.
Tom cruise was born in the same hospital and is from the same hometown and neighborhood as myself, when i visit my friend i drive right by toms old house where he lived as a kid.
I saw the movie when it cam e out as a kid loved it before I watched NASCAR a lot. Still like watching that movie good times. Sad that those cars are in that state.
*AWESOME* to hear the different stories from someone who was really there. Thanks for this video
Another awesome video by You and Logan! Really enjoyed it!
I love that they've been found.
Another great video Mitchell and Logan. Love these videos.
I hope you show more of the race team guy with more of his story's of the movie making and the fun they had.
I wish I could have been there for the rocket powered races on the rooftop. That would have been a riot. 😅
Great find. A behind the scenes look at an iconic movie. Thank You, I enjoyed this one too.
This was better than the movie. I watched Joe's videos of the rescue of those cars. Having one of the production crew present in this video was awesome. I love this behind-the-scenes stuff. Thanks for making the commute to document more NASCAR history.
They look like the cars from Kings Dominion. There use to be a Days of Thunder simulator ride there. You would look at these cars while waiting in line to go in
i swear this is the best chanel on yt
Thanks man 💪🏻
I was REALLLY hoping you were gonna do a video with this guy nice!!
The car I’m most interested in is the 51 Exxon car prepared by Robert Gee. In the Tony Eury Jr. episode of the Jr. Podcast, he talks about the “51 car” that was one of the last he worked on and had given the full “just chrome it” Robert Gee treatment. I’ve always liked Rowdy’s Exxon car the best and I wonder where that one is! Great vid, guys!
That was great. Thank you.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Loved this movie growing up. I think it's the reason i got into racing in the 90s. Kinda of funny that i now live in one of towns he mentioned that he worked in
I just spit beer. "Can I get directions to the track". Howling
I literally just watched this guy's video the other day about getting the 51 and thought of you guys nice job again 👏 👍 👌
Another top shelf content video. Thanks
I keep coming back to this channel ever few months to see if any new videos on the Rolls or Suburban but nothing. NASCAR isn't really my thing but still have hope to see those projects completed.
Uncle Rob will be back this year
So awesome man! I grew up with this movie & would love to see as many Days of Thunder history videos as well as your usual NASCAR history videos, if you can make them 😁😁😁
Glad you enjoyed it!
When the movie was released there was a #51 Mello Yellow car on display at the World of Wheels car show in Green Bay, WI. My dad had a car in the show as well. After the show was over we were waiting for some of the cars to clear out so we could get dad's car out and leave. While waiting a guy approached us and asked if I wanted to sit in the car. I am sure it was just a promotional car but at 10 years old it was the coolest thing in the world to be able to sit in it.
Guys ur channel is a dream come true. GOD bless u all
Thank you!!
I've never watched a video that the views are going up like crazy. I like what you guys are doing.
Alright u got a new sub... Your videos are really tremendous thanks for your hard work in bringing great content to race fans!!!!
This has become my favorite channel hands down keep the great content coming
Thanks man we will!
Days of thunder is one of my favorite movies....😊
Wow just a couple days ago I was searching DOT cars and then this pops up!! Keep it up Mitch!
Awesome!
I've always wondered what happened to these cars. AWESOME video bro!
Great vid guys keep up the good work
all cars should be reunited in the old barn that still exists - it would be nice to make a "day of thunder" museum out of it !