Days of Thunder poster

Days of Thunder Quotes

"You can't outrun the thunder."

PG-13 1990 · 1h 47m
64
Audience
64
Audience
27 quotes
A Clash of Racing Strategies and Speed
Harry Hogge His way... my way... I was six seconds faster.
[slaps a ruined tire; slaps a lightly worn tire]
Confidence in Driving Ability
Cole Trickle Let me drive I won't make a fool out of you.
Rubbin' is Racin' in NASCAR
Harry Hogge Cole, you're wandering all over the track!
Cole Trickle Well, this son of a bitch just slammed into me!
Harry Hogge No, no, he didn't bump you, he didn't nudge you, he didn't slam into you, he RUBBED you. And rubbin', son, is racin'. Oh, there goes a fender. There goes a quarter-panel.
[Cole slams into the wall side-ways; Cole slams into another car; Cole slams into other cars and causes a multi-car crash; Harry just shakes his head in disbelief and face-palms]
Fear of Nothingness Overcomes Fear of Pain
Cole Trickle Claire, I'm more afraid of being nothing than I am of being hurt.
Trust is Essential for Victory
Tim Daland And Harry, I know you're great, you know you're great, but if the guy in the car doesn't trust you, we're never gonna win a damn race.
Rowdy Burns' Determination to Beat the Rookie
Rowdy Burns I'm gonna take this rookie, once and for all.
Understanding Stock Car Racing Through Television
Harry Hogge What do you know about stock car racing?
Cole Trickle Well... watched it on television, of course.
Harry Hogge You've seen it on television?
Cole Trickle ESPN. The coverage is excellent, you'd be surprised at how much you can pick up.
Harry Hogge I'm sure I would.
Mistakes and Misjudgments in Racing Events
Tim Daland We messed up big time on Sunday. I had sponsors in the stands and I'm huggin and holdin hands and kissin em in the ears and prayin for a good showin'. And what do we do? We end up lookin like a monkey fuckin a football out there!
[calmly; shouting]
Challenging the Rookie Driver
Rowdy Burns Ok, I'm going to pull this rookie's chain.
Optimizing Performance for the Race Track
Harry Hogge I'm gonna give you an engine, low to the ground... extra thick oil pan that'll cut the wind from underneath ya, see. It'll give you thirty or forty more horsepower. I'm gonna give you a fuel line that'll hold an extra gallon of gas. I'm gonna shave half an inch off you and shape you like a bullet. I'll get you primed, painted and weighed, and you'll be ready to go out on that racetrack. You hear me? You're gonna be perfect.
[talking to a race-car chassis]
Strategy Under Caution in Racing
Harry Hogge All right. While we're still under a caution, I want you to go back out on that track and hit the pace car.
Cole Trickle Hit the pace car?
Harry Hogge Hit the pace car!
Cole Trickle What for?
Harry Hogge Because you've hit every other goddamned thing out there, I want you to be perfect!
Denial as a Dangerous Affliction
Claire Lewicki You and Rowdy have the same sickness, it's called denial and it's probably going to kill you both.
The Art of Racing Explained
Harry Hogge No, no, he didn't slam you, he didn't bump you, he didn't nudge you... he rubbed you. And rubbin, son, is racin'.
Praise for an Exceptional Coon-Dog
Harry Hogge Tim, take a look at that hound. That's the best coon-dog I ever seen or heard about and I didn't teach him a damn thing.
Embracing the Power of Thunder
Taglines You can't outrun the thunder.
Unstoppable Force of Nature
Taglines You can't stop the thunder.
Identity in California and the South
Tim Daland If you're from California, you're not a Yankee. You're not really anything.
Confidence in Competitive Racing
Rowdy Burns The boy don't have the balls to pass me on the outside.
Evaluating Cole's Return to Daytona Racing
Harry Gant Daytona is a tough racetrack. And I'm sure, myself and everyone, are going to keep an eye on Cole to see if he's there, you know, all his reflexes and everything.
Neil Bonnett He's plenty capable of running that racecar good and I don't think he has any kind of effects from the accident that would be a factor in the way he performs.
Aldo Bennedetti I'm glad he's well enough to come back and I hope to beat him at the same time.
Rusty Wallace You know a lot of guys don't like him. And it's just a situation where the guy's got a lot of talant. He's wide open, he doesn't think about anything else, he just wants to win. I like that.
Russ Wheeler Since the crash, he's been a danger to himself and the other drivers. But if he comes near me, I'm going to put him in the wall. Simple as that. I don't expect I'll see too much of him. Except in my rearview mirror.
Understanding Engine Performance and Risks
Harry Hogge Now, Cole, when you shift the gear and that little needle on the tach goes into the red and reads 9000 RPMs, that's bad.
Caution in Racing: Protecting a Vulnerable Driver
Harry Hogge I'm settin you up for cool weather... but if that sun breaks, after you're out on the track, you're liable to run real loose real quick. Now I don't wanna worry you or nothin, but, Cole's not ready for that... he's changed, see, he's changed. You cannot get out of control and expect him to bring you right back. He's liable to hurt you, you're liable to hurt him, and... I couldn't handle that, so, ah, you've gotta take care of him... see... you gotta take care of him.
[talking to "his" race-car]
The Reluctance of Drivers to Face Reality
Harry Hogge Drivers can't stand to be reminded of what can happen to em in a racecar. They, they don't go to hospitals, they don't go to funerals. You get a driver to a funeral before he's actually dead, you've made history, darlin'.
The Illusion of Control in Life
Claire Lewicki Control is an illusion, you infantile egomaniac. Nobody knows what's gonna happen next: not on a freeway, not in an airplane, not inside our own bodies and certainly not on a racetrack with 40 other infantile egomaniacs.
A Familiar Face Remembers You
Cole Trickle Remember me?
[After rubbin' Rowdy]
Cruise Like Thunder
Taglines Cruise like Thunder.
Decisive Action in Racing Context
Cole Trickle I'm droppin the hammer.
Life's Simple Pleasures and Conversations
Tim Daland See you're enjoying the good life, Harry?
[Walks to tractor]
Harry Hogge Yeah. Well I don't mind spreadin a little fertilizer round now and then. There's worse things.
Tim Daland How's the truck runnin'?
Harry Hogge Runs good.
Tim Daland I... uh... I want you to build me a car.
[pause]
Harry Hogge Now, Tim, everyone knows some downtown car dealer can't afford a race team. And no driver worth a damn is gonna sign with you. Cause they wreck one car, you can't afford to build them another, and their out of the deal, you know. And no car's gonna win without a driver, not even mine.
[stops tractor]
Tim Daland If you built the car, I'd get a damn driver.
[points to Harry]
Harry Hogge What kinda driver you gonna find after the season's started? Some ole boy that's washed up, and wasn't worth a shit to begin with.
[starts driving tractor]
Tim Daland You can work with him. You can build a driver like you build a car, Harry.
Harry Hogge Tim, take a look at that hound. Now that's the best coon dog I ever seen or heard about, and I didn't teach him a damn thing.
[points to dog]
Tim Daland Well I got somebody.
Harry Hogge Who?
Tim Daland Take a look at him.
Harry Hogge Anybody I gotta take a look at ain't somebody.
Tim Daland Then take a look at nobody.
Harry Hogge Tim, I give up racin', you gotta know that.
[stops tractor]
Tim Daland Ah, you didn't give up racin', Harry. You quit to avoid investigation into Buddy's crash at Daytona.
Harry Hogge Hey, I didn't avoid any God-damn investigation.
Tim Daland Well, anyway, I... uh... I talked to NASCAR and if you come back in there won't be any investigation.
[rolls eyes]
Harry Hogge How they hell you sell em on that deal?
Tim Daland I'm a helluva salesman.
Tim Daland What's wrong with him?
Harry Hogge I'll tell you what wrong with this deal is you, Tim. You're a victim of your own god-damn creation! Two race teams? That's one too many roosters in the henhouse.
Tim Daland It doesn't seem to bother Russ Wheeler.
Harry Hogge Oh, no, no, ever since that Daytona crash Cole's been called a troublemaker. Wheeler figures he can bump and bam Cole all he wants.
Tim Daland I don't see Russ doing anything like that. NASCAR doesn't see Russ doing anything like that.
Harry Hogge Oh I guess it ain't happening then under the watchful eyes of experts like you and NASCAR!
Tim Daland I'll tell you what is happening—Cole's not running good, he's not looking good and now he's got sponsor trouble!
Harry Hogge But you don't, is that it?
Tim Daland As far is that goes, no, I don't, but I want to keep the sponsor and Cole, he's the one that made this happen and I haven't forgotten that, Harry.
Harry Hogge Right, right.