Repurposed Days of Thunder (NAS)cars?

[Gordon Bombay]

Both Jungle Jims locations are known for repurposing many things, particularly from the amusement industry. In addition to relics from Americana and Coney Island, the eclectic stores have also made use of Kings Island remnants over time (in addition to the monorail, of course). 

I grew up with the original location in Fairfield, but never made it out to the newer Eastgate location until this past weekend. While there, I came across these two 1990s style stock cars on display:

 

If memory serves (and there’s no guarantee that it does), these vehicles (or similar ones) were once on display in Fairfield…and I’d heard that these vehicles might’ve been purchased from/relocated from Kings Island not long after the Days of Thunder attraction closed.

Before “Action Theatre” was discarded as a haphazard haunted house and dinosaur cash grab, the attraction had some really cool stuff back there. Debuting as “Days of Thunder” at then-Paramount’s Kings Island, the ride’s queue featured several stock cars of the era on display and painted up to look like the vehicles in the film. They *may* have even been used in the film, but given that Paramount built three of these attractions, I don’t think that was necessarily the case. 

Anyways, the notion that those display cars were relocated to Jungle Jim’s and slapped with new paint was something I always heard about in KI lore, but not something anyone had ever really “confirmed” or “proven.” I.E. I don’t doubt that’s where these cars are from, but I don’t know for sure.

So, I figured it might be fun to ask here: anyone know for certain?

Only other bit of info I got is that when I was nearing the end of my time at the park circa 2011-2013, another similar stock car was always wheeled out for the haunt. It had been re-painted to look a destroyed police car and was used as a thematic element in some sort of zombie apocalypse attraction (Translation: supposedly one of the old Days of Thunder display cars had been quickly covered in spray paint and then dinged up to look like garbage).

And as a bonus question (since I don’t hail from the Eastside), can anyone tell me if this beautiful sign now on display at Jungle Jim’s Eastgate is formerly from the short-lived “Cheeseburger in Paradise” restaurant that existed out that way?

 

[Losantiville Mining Co.]

I think there's a good chance that those came from Kings Island, but I also remember there being a NASCAR themed restaurant somewhere in the US that they could have come from. The name of that restaurant continues to evade me though. It had a few cars in this exact setup and might've closed around the same time Jungle Jim's (in Fairfield) added their cars. Can anyone help to find what that restaurant was? There might be an Expedition Theme Park video on it as well.

[HarvestmanMan]

On 11/17/2025 at 3:56 PM, Gordon Bombay said:

And as a bonus question (since I don’t hail from the Eastside), can anyone tell me if this beautiful sign now on display at Jungle Jim’s Eastgate is formerly from the short-lived “Cheeseburger in Paradise” restaurant that existed out that way?

 

Yes, it is.  The restaurant was torn down (along with east-side childhood mecca Eastgate Adventures) to make room for the S.R. 32 ramp reconfiguration a few years ago, and the sign was rescued.