Hut Stricklin Coached Tom Cruise for Days of Thunder | Dale Jr. Download 

Tom Cruise raced in SCCA Road Racing with Paul Newman. One of the nicknames they had at the time was that SCCA stood for "See Cruise Crash Again" he was fast but didn't have the maturity to know when to back off and avoid crashing. Watching him on Top Gear a few years ago also showed how fearless and fast he is.

Hut was one of my all time favorite drivers. Thanks for having him on. Dude hasn’t aged a minute in 20 years

Hut, one of my all time favorites. Never got in the right opportunity. So glad he came on the download. Met Hut on 3 separate occasions and absolutely one of the most gracious and humble people in NASCAR.

Great to see Hut around again. He was a staple on the track back them days and a good driver, good people.

Hut! I haven't seen this dude since the 90s. Awesome!

It would be so cool if you could get Tom and Mr H in the studio and talk Days Of Thunder

I remember Hut just always being around until one day he just wasn't. He was one of those guys everybody heard of but you'd pass him in the grocery aisle and never know it was him. Awesome hearing from him

Hut was always my favorite driver growing up - hearing these stories and history is awesome. Go, Hut!

So cool to hear this story. Day's of Thunder came out when I was 5 years old and it is what made me fall in love with NASCAR. My family didn't watch Nascar before but I became a lifelong fan after that movie. Nascar really needs a new serious action/drama movie that takes the sport seriously to get people in.

Tom raced with the SCCA prior to Days of Thunder. there's a video on YT here in a tube frame GT2 car at Road America prior to 1990 (Pagoda still standing)

I love the Days of Thunder stories from anyone. One of my favorite movies all-time. Great show.

Great interview, so glad you had Hut on the show. Love to see Liz, and Robbie Allyson on the show.

Man, it was awesome to see Hut tonight. Great show as always.

So cool. Dale its great the stories your getting out of these legends. We appreciate it.

Awesome show graduated in 88 from High School Nice to see Mr Strickland aw the yesterday yrs😂

Tom Cruise raced SCCA in 1988 and won 4 races. Everyone said he would be a great driver. Videos on RU-vid, great footage , and of him driving an F1 car

Awesome movie, still to this day!

Always liked Hut. Alabama Gang. He had a shop in Calera Al.

Hut Stricklin always stuck out to me as a kid just because of his name. still the only time ive ever seen it.

Paul Newman was a race car driver. Not surprised about him driving one of Rick’s cars.

I’d like to see Greg Sacks on this show and hear about his experiences regarding the movie 👍. Wish we could hear from Bobby Hamilton on his involvement in the movie but sadly we can’t. I saw some behind the scenes documentary before about the movie and apparently Tom Crusie made laps in cars before the movie even came about

I have a cloth napkin signed by Hut Stricklan from The Chart House... I was very young and Hut was Very cool to me. Class act.

I remember Stricklin driving for the Stravola Bros #8 Circuit City Ford/Chevy. Didn't know Hut was driver coaching Tom Cruise for Days of Thunder movie.

Tom Cruise ran a number of SCCA races Years ago.

Keep killing it!👍🏻👍🏻

That's good content right there.

I remember collecting NASCAR cards as a kid and one card I didn't have to complete a set was called "Hut Stricklin", I didn't think it was a person's name I thought it was some sort of slang term for something.

Excellent interview...

Did he teach Tom how to hit the pace car?

It’s funny the things these guys remember and the things they forget.

I remember Tom Cruise racing a Nissan in the GT-3 class. I believe it was a Paul Newman car

Pretty sure Tom ran some SCCA races in the 80's and even won a race

Cruise and Paul Newman were friends and previously raced sports cars before the Movie was made so he had experience.

Hhhhhhhuuuuuuuuttttttttttttttt! Always like Hut! Good to see you young man!

Hut is and has always been a class act.

He looks like he can still drive today

I remember Hardee's having those cars on special plastic drink cups for the movie

You should get Tom cruse on the show

Interesting to listen to these stories. Mr Stricklin seemed to be good people

Dale, I actually got an opportunity to stand in an old airstream that Kerry Earnhardt signed the door, and there are other signatures inside, but they are fading pretty badly. I don't know the whole back story, but I thought it was pretty cool to see it in our lot at work where it still sets today.

Tom Cruise raced for Paul Newman I’m surprised these guys didn’t know. They called him “See Cruise Crash”

Boy like Hut came so close to super stardom. Doesn't meant he wasn't great . It's the breaks and fate. How it plays out. Awesome race car hut . Great great driver.

Cruise had the fastest civilian lap ever recorded at one time 180+ i think

The 1996 mountain dew 500 where my driver Jeff Gordon won... overtook Hut very late in the race to win. I am glad he won, but seeing Hut win would of been absolutely amazing.

Tom Cruise tells a funny story about about riding in a jet for the 1st top gun movie the pilots name was Bozo 😂

Tom Cruise one-off start for JRM

Can we get a "uhhh" counter for this guy? Lol

Hut just loves his MacDonald’s coffee

Really disappointed you guys spoke absolutely nothing about Huts time with Junie Donlavey. Junie gave Hut his last Top 10 finish, sixth, at Michigan in 2001. Junior is all about the old racers but completely skipped Stricklin 's 2 plus years working for Donlavey.

Someone wrote "Go Like Hell. Turn Left." on my roll cage years ago. Never did find out who did it!

And to think the studios had a problem with Denis hopper driving the vet in King of the Mountain

I’m jealous of Hut; nice dark and thick hair for a 62 year old man. I have no hair and if I did I’m sure it’d look white as snow….

Gotta say, Hut looks great for his age

Thank you for still repping the SCSA gear after all this time Hut!

Met hut at nhis. he was so humble & good looking my wife wanted to trade me in!

From what I understand Tom Cruise's lap times would have qualified him in the Daytona 500. Even if it was 40th he's do with a qualified and that's pretty damn awesome for being a movie star and not a stock car driver

How can I see Huts video the entire video . All I.get is audio no pic except for the 10 minute I'm a friend of the entire family

I'm dropping the hammer

Now being that a stockcar is only built to turn left when it's setup for ovals, and it being his first time in a stockcar, I give a pass to Cruise. Because in the late 1980's after filming Top Gun, Tom raced with Paul Newman in the SCCA GT road racing category in GT2. He won at least one race that I know of... He'd had some seat time going fast in a car before making Days of Thunder.

Looks like Andy Petree

I keep hearing this. How many drivers, without a ride, are walking around the garage at any given time?

Truth gonna come knocking here soon.......real soon, fishing trips 🤦‍♂️🤭

Somebody explain more about the one way sway bar. Why would you have that at all, whether it's a movie or not?

Lesson: don't ever tell an actor not to do something

Because no one outstricklins the Hut

Hmmmm what does dale sr n damar hamlin have in common ....🤔...👌 3 🤦‍♂️ people think its only actors n musicians

Confused why Dale is surprised Tom drove a nascar..It's pretty low key to drive a nascar ,especially on a super speedway way..Any driver with just a Lil bit of experience could open a car up around a super speedway and it pretty much drives itself.

Newman drove your dad's car a couple of times

hey tom.. heres how you put her in the wall!!

Holy cow only watched two minutes of it got annoyed with Hut saying ahh umm ahh umm ahh umm constantly holy annoying.

During that time I was working for Richard Petty on his Pit Crew and I had been told that I look a lot like Tom Cruise. As a matter of fact while we were in Phoenix in 1989 it was reported that Tom would be there. A lot of people there that weekend though I was him, and we got mobbed to the point that it was a distraction for us trying to get Richard's car ready for qualifying. I remember spending a lot of time in our hauler that weekend because of it. Well I ended up doing some work on Day's of Thunder as Tom's double. A couple of days before we started filming, I was told to show up at CMS to meet up with Tom Cruise and Rick Hendrick. When I got there Tom was running laps in the #25 Folgers car. He came into the pits and climbed from the car. We were introduced for the first time. The very first thing he said to me was "You wanna go for a ride?" As he pointed at the car. I noticed the car had a second seat bolted in the car with belts. I said sure thing. I got strapped in the car and right before we left the pits someone with Hendrick Motorsports leaned down and told Tom, "Remember these are some old tires on the car. After this run we need to make a tire change. We went out and turned about 15 laps. On the second to the final lap Tom spun out in turns 3 and 4. He got it under control and never slowed down. At this point I had the s**t scared out of me but Tom was laughing and high fiving me in the car saying "Isn't This Great!!" When we came into the pits and stopped a crew member told us that Tom was running fast enough to have made the last race there at Charlotte. That was an event I will never forget.

Invite Tom cruise to the podcast to talk about the movie and racing he loves that stuff. That would be great.

Should it surprise anyone that Paul Newman drove a Rick Hendrick stock car? The man was a ligit National champion - Trans-Am - 24Hr Racer, he also drove a Indy car at a test session from what I’ve been told! He was bad fast at his home track, LimeRock Park!

Get Tom Cruise and Michael Rooker on the show. That would be a very entertaining episode

Hut was a solid driver with below average equipment. Never heard any bad things about him. Glad he was on your show!

Tom drove the Red Bull F1 car several years back with pretty intense lap times. It was cool to hear Hut speak of his abilities.

You have to get Tom on the show...

Uuuuhhhh uuuuummmm uuuuuhhhhh uuuuuuhhhhh uuuummmm

Wish Tom would Revisit Days of Thunder!!!!

Have the pleasure to call Hut a friend . He is one awesome dude .

Love Hut!! Awesome guest - glad to see he's still doing well

Back then Tom was also into road racing. Can't remember the series though. Maybe Trans Am but, Tom Cruise has long had an interest in motorsports.

This was AWESOME!!!! Dale you find the most interesting people who have fascinating stories that you're able to get every person to open up and tell the whole story!!! AMAZING!!! Love this podcast and love you Dale ,Mike and crew!!💞🤗💞🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

dammit dale let him speak lol

Be really cool to have Tom Cruse on the show.

A show idea for the slow days in the off-season, have you ever watched the movie Grand Prix from 1966? Yes, it is a romantic/adventure movie built around the F1 scene in the early 60s. James Garner (Rockford Files) did all of his own driving as did several of the other actors. Jackie Stewart, Graham Hill, Jim Clark, Jack Brabham, and Dan Gurney as well as other current drivers of the day drove in the film as well. It was the first movie to use overhead helicopter shots of cars, split screen shots, as well as in-car cameras. If nothing else it is a primer on why and how motor racing is shot and broadcast today.

Hey EARNHARDT... Does Hut Stricklin Age?? Lol...that Dude has Looked the Same Way Since He Entered Nascar 40 years ago! 🤣🤣😁🏁 Lol

And his hair is still jet black!!! Always liked Hut. Great to see him.

How about a podcast with some of the old guys talking about "Stroker Ace" with Burt Reynolds that had a bunch of cameos from the older Nascar drivers including Dale Sr.???

Great stories! I love when these guys from the 90's come on the show

I got to sit in one of Hut's cars when he drove for Junie Donlavey. My grandfather was a Unocal/76 truck driver for alot of the tracks on the east coast and was good friends with ALOT of the industry. Took me to Junie's shop. Teal Heilig-Meyers car. I'll have to find those pictures

ol "Crash Cruise"

I don't know if it's true or not but Tom Cruise runs a private racetrack with Friends on weekends

Who coached Will Ferrell in Talladega nights?

Enjoyed Video Dale ! I had a classmate in high school went to Navy after graduating worked with producer original Top Gun for flight deck scenes.

Hut was pretty good in that Circuit CIty car, just never could quite get over the hump. I remember there was a race at Darlington that it looked like he was going to win but something quirky happened toward the end that cost him the victory?

Hut Drove Number 12 Buick Regal And Number 27 Ford Thunderbird From The Early 90s NASCAR Winston Cup Series Thanks For Uploading

The Heinz car was awesome. Wish they’d come back with a 57 car.

Thanks for talking with Hut. Always been a fan because of his link with the Allison's. Met him at Martinsville in the fall of 91. Was the nicest person.

I never did like Days of Thunder.....When it came out they had the watered down family sedan Lumina's and Grand Prixs in it.....I don't care what anybody says but a Chevy Lumina is not a car I want to see on a racetrack......If they only would've made it in "86-"88,they would've had real cars like the 2 dr Monte Carlo SS and the Aerobird Thunderbirds of Bill Elliott and Davey Allison instead.....After the "88 Monte Carlo left the scene and after the "88 Tbird turned into the "89 Tbird I lost interest in NASCAR till Dodge returned back in 2001.