Full Throttle

AutoWeek’s “Thunder” cover was something of a risk: The story was written when only a coming-attractions trailer was available for viewing.

That’s because the sound track on the last four reels of “Thunder” is still being mixed--following an additional day of shooting at Daytona in late May.

“This is the tightest we’ve been by a considerable degree,” admits producer Jerry Bruckheimer, who stresses that he and partner Don Simpson always work with short post-production periods and go back to shoot additional footage.

Bruckheimer says that “rough weather in Charlotte (N.C.)” proved to be an obstacle from which they “never recovered.” He also disputed reports that leading lady Nicole Kidman had wound up largely on the cutting-room floor.

As for whether the picture can make the June 27 finish line: “We’re going to make it . . . 100%,” asserts Bruckheimer. Post-production on the film, he says, will be completed on Monday and 2,300 prints of the first half of the film have already been struck.

Bo Knows Destiny