1. did the team get a racr car or supplied by rowdy burns?
2. in the scene when the big truck gets pulled over by the police, did it really get pulled over for alcholic or did the police just want to meet cole?
3. is this based on a true story or true events?
>>1. did the team get a racr car or supplied by rowdy burns?
Cole's cars at the beginning were owned by the Tim Daland (Randy Quaid)character. At the end Cole drove Rowdy's car, but with an engine supplied by Daland when theirs broke at the last minute.
>>2. in the scene when the big truck gets pulled over by the police, did it really get pulled over for alcholic or did the police just want to meet cole?
Neither. It was a set up by Harry Hogge and the crew as a joke on Cole.
>>3. is this based on a true story or true events?
I don't believe so, however the Harry Hogge character is supposed to be loosely based on longtime NASCAR crew chief Harry Hyde.
Many of the events in Days of Thunder are based on real happenings from the lore of NASCAR. It is known that the late Dale Earnhardt and Geoff Bodine were called to a dinner meeting by the President of NASCAR and they were told to drive to the meeting together - there is no story as to whether or not they raced to the dinner as depicted in the movie. The scene where Cole drives back on the track and wrecks his teammate is also based on a similar story, although it escapes my memory what drivers it involved - Bill Elliot does come to mind.
The Cole Trickle character is loosely based on a deceased driver named Tim Richmond who was an outsider (ie: not from the south) who came to NASCAR and won several events. Richmond later died of AIDS.
The Harry Hogge character is based on the legendary crew chief Harry Hyde who helped teach Richmond how to drive a stock car.
Randy Quaid character is based on NASCAR team owner Rick Hendrick (you might know him, he owns several teams including the 24 car of Jeff Gordon and has won multiple championships in NASCAR) who entered NASCAR as Charlotte based car salesman. Hendrick also re-introduced the idea of multi-car teams to the sports.