DAYTONA THUNDER.
At the very ass end of summer TNUC always demands a proper send off. Right before things start to get pretty exciting around here (OCTOBER!), we can’t say bon voyage to the balmy months without one final clenched fist in the air, screaming like a horny gorilla chasing lady apes in the jungle.
Uh, what the heck does that mean? It means that last weekend Uncle T had a private screening of the 1990 fast-action blockbuster DAYS OF THUNDER…and man did it do the trick. Talk about a power hour and 47 minutes of motion picture adrenaline! This movie really does have it all. Fast cars, great hair, hot romance, emotions escalating, risky moves, tight denim, neon ballcaps, homoeroticism (though nothing compared to Top Gun), sunburst cinematography, extreme product placements and last but certainly not least…Cole Fucking Trickle.
It’s easy to grasp the reality that Tom Cruise was experiencing probably the biggest mega-stardom of his career right before Days of Thunder came out. This movie followed in the footsteps of Risky Business, Rainman, Cocktail and Top Gun just to name a few. Days of Thunder is sort of like Top Gun’s dumb little brother. Also, this was the summer of 1990 and everything on screen had a certain air of crispiness to achieve that cinematic awe. It might be a big dumb movie about dickhead NASCAR drivers, but man did it look good!
By the time Cole Trickle storms the big race in Daytona, I’m already 13 Zimas deep and my eyes are bulging out of my sockets. This type of hot action just doesn’t grace the big screen these days. When the credits hit, I’m feeling more alive than I’ve felt in a long time, although the credit music is a bit underwhelming during this euphoria. It’s fine and all, but let’s just say it’s a far cry from Point Break’s end credits featuring Ratt’s ‘Nobody Rides for Free’.
But one tune immediately came to mind hence the title and that’s Russ Chimes’ ‘Daytona’. It’s been years since I’ve heard the track and we haven’t posted anything Valerie Collective related in some time, so we’re definitiely due for a revisit.
Blast this into oblivion, feel the engine roar and join Uncle T in bidding a final farewell to summer.
Don’t forget to stay hydrated with a frosty Mello Yello as you sit back in your big boy chair tonight to watch Days of Thunder (currently streaming on Amazon Prime)!
Too fired up and need a piece of the action now? Do an eBay search for “Days of Thunder” promo stuff and vintage merchandise. There’s literally endless hats, shirts, posters, visors and other promotional crap. The marketing on this movie saw no limit and why should it have really?
uncletnuc.com 
Don’t forget about the HARDEES happy meals!!
One of the greatest 80s soundtracks too, in my opinion!