The production mounted real cameras onto operational stock cars driving at competitive speeds, giving audiences an unprecedented look from inside the cockpit.

While Days of Thunder is a work of fiction, it is deeply rooted in authentic NASCAR lore. Fans of the sport can easily spot the real-life counterparts that inspired the characters:

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Is it ridiculous? Absolutely. Does Cole overcome a traumatic brain injury, reconcile with his rival Rowdy Burns (a snarling Michael Rooker), and win the Daytona 500 in a paint-swapping, last-lap duel that defies physics? You bet your pit pass he does.