I’ve been going through my old information to help Hendrick Motorsports with a research project on Days of Thunder cars. During that, I came across these photos and wanted to share. These are from my very first commercial shoot in May, 1990 at the North Wilkesboro Speedway. It was for Days of Thunder themed spots for Hardee’s restaurants. We needed to document certain aspects of the filming, so in between working on the cars, I’d grab the disposable camera and take a few badly framed pictures. What I wouldn’t give to have had modern digital equipment, and my current eye for how to take pictures!

Having been around during the filming of the movie, I was used to the production part, but movies and commercials are created in totally different ways, so this was still a great learning experience. I’m thankful for my friend and showcar teacher Jerry Scarborough and what he taught me throughout the filming. Jerry was the best! I’ve done a few hundred similar shoots through the years, but this is where it all began. I’m so happy to have these photos to remember it by. If you like Days of Thunder, I think you’ll like these somewhat poorly shot photos. The full commercial is below the first gallery, and the script and storyboard is below the video in the second gallery. Enjoy!