Cole Trickle (
Tom Cruise) is a young, cocky race car driver whose talent and ambition are surpassed only by his burning need to win. Discovered by businessman Tim Daland (
Randy Quaid), Cole is teamed with legendary crew chief and car-builder Harry Hogge (
Robert Duvall) to race for the Winston Cup at the Daytona 500.
A fiery crash nearly ends Cole's career and he must turn to a beautiful doctor (
Nicole Kidman) to regain his nerve and the true courage needed to race, to win and to live.