🚘 ~ lightning mcqueen

Montgomery "Monty" McQueen

"Bulldozer" McQueen (formerly) Lightning McQueen The Rookie (formerly) Stickers (nickname by Sally) Chester Whipplefilter (used during the Crazy Eight) The Fabulous Lightning McQueen (Tribute to The Fabulous Hudson Hornet)

Male

Radiator Springs, Carburetor County

American

Smell Swell Racer (formerly) Piston Cup racer for Rust-eze Racing (unconfirmed status) World Grand Prix Racer (briefly; formerly) Demolition Derby Racer (briefly; formerly) Cryptid hunter (briefly; formerly) Actor (briefly; formerly) Road rumbler (briefly; formerly) GRC racer

2006 Handmade, Custom-built, One-of-a-kind Race Car Body; 24-gauge cold-rolled sheet metal Chassis: High strength tubular steel Top speed: 200mph (former record) 198mph/318 kph (current record) Start time: 0-60 mph in 3.2 seconds (former record) 0-60 mph in 4 seconds (current record) Engine type: Full Race V8 Horsepower: 750 hp

First race: Beachside 500 Last race: 400 Invitations sponsored by Vitoline First win: Glen Ellen 350 Last win: 400 Invitations sponsored by Vitoline

McQueen is a professional racecar who quickly rose to prominence in his local scene, before debuting in the Piston Cup as the #95 Rust-eze driver. He has had a lengthy and prosperous career, winning several championships before becoming the trainer and crew chief for Cruz Ramirez on the Dinoco racing team. McQueen is typically portrayed as kindhearted and passionate, having found an unlikely home in the Arizona town of Radiator Springs, where he lives with his best friend Mater, his girlfriend Sally, and many other neighbors.

While depictions of McQueen's origins have varied in details, recurring elements of the racecar's backstory paint him as an arrogant and self-centered "one-man show" who quickly became a standout in his local racing scene, driven by ambitions of becoming a professional Piston Cup driver and the face of the prestigious Dinoco brand. Following a harsh race turnout, the dejected trainee ran into a semi-trailer truck named Mack, whose connections within the Piston Cup circuit convinced McQueen to partner up with him and travel to a significant opportunity. Desperate for a new spokescar amidst their former's retirement, the goofy businessmen Rusty and Dusty Rust-eze gave Lightning his "big break" offering him a role as the driver for Rust-eze, and despite McQueen's distaste for their image, McQueen reluctantly accepts and enters the Piston Cup with his new friend Mack as his transporter. McQueen's beginnings were first illustrated in the 2008 story "And Now a Word from Our Sponsor" from the World of Cars anthology book. Here, Lightning McQueen is an up-and-coming local racer on the Eastern seaboard, competing in regional events under sponsorship of Smell Swell Deodorizer. One day at the Simpletown Speedway, McQueen's management drops him in favor of another driver, whose "stinky" driving apparently suited Smell Swell's image better. A fan of McQueen's named Mack overhears their conversation, and knowing that his employers are on the lookout for a new spokescar to replace their own retiree, the trailer truck approaches Lightning and offers him a ride to Boston to meet them. The two become fast friends, and upon arrival in Boston, Rusty and Dusty hire McQueen practically on sight - The rookie soon finds this is due to their product Rust-eze's humiliating branding. With Mack as his transporter, Lightning is ready to begin his Piston Cup career.

McQueen's beginnings were first illustrated in the 2008 story "And Now a Word from Our Sponsor" from the World of Cars anthology book. Here, Lightning McQueen is an up-and-coming local racer on the Eastern seaboard, competing in regional events under sponsorship of Smell Swell Deodorizer. One day at the Simpletown Speedway, McQueen's management drops him in favor of another driver, whose "stinky" driving apparently suited Smell Swell's image better. A fan of McQueen's named Mack overhears their conversation, and knowing that his employers are on the lookout for a new spokescar to replace their own retiree, the trailer truck approaches Lightning and offers him a ride to Boston to meet them. The two become fast friends, and upon arrival in Boston, Rusty and Dusty hire McQueen practically on sight - The rookie soon finds this is due to their product Rust-eze's humiliating branding. With Mack as his transporter, Lightning is ready to begin his Piston Cup career.

He tells of his scrappy origins as a gifted but reckless racer known as "Bulldozer" McQueen, apparently due to his "pushy" demeanor on the track. In his first full season, McQueen is successful, but his narcissism and self-centered attitude throughout the season inspire two of his rivals to sabotage him during the championship race. Discouraged and distraught, McQueen departs and runs into Mack, a rusty moving van for the Eggman company who was impressed with his performance on the track and explained to the race car about the laws of physics of racing which causes McQueen to rudely ask the truck that he was not his friend and didn't need any advice, he also said that he hates old trucks. Mack then tells Mcqueen that there is no need to be rude and offers that they could help eachother as a team; he will bring him to the Piston Cup and will bring him to the teams and see if they will accept him as their racer much to the surprisement of McQueen as his longtime friend Gray has close connections in the Piston Cup. Mack happily brings the young race car on board and head along to their journey to the Piston Cup. Mack introduces the red racing car to Gray.

McQueen meets team Dinoco alongside Tex and the King, McQueen asks if he can join them but Tex kindly rejects him because the King is what Dinoco needed for the moment with the King then comforting him that his time will one day come. McQueen goes to team Hostile Takeover Bank and asks if he can join them, but their racer Chick Hicks and the latter's crew chief laugh their heads off at McQueen and he miserably drives away. He also then tries other sponsors, but none of them accept him. Things start to get a bit sour when McQueen argues with Mack that he doesn't want to be in a team to do with rusty vehicles which Mack offered and the former storms off and he alongside Mack watch the race track and Mack introduces McQueen to Rusty and Dusty when the legendary old Rust-eze #01 car speeds through the circuit but suddenly crashes causing the latter to quit mid-race and politely refuses to continue and retires causing Mack to think they need a new racer which turns out to be McQueen himself leading McQueen to be shocked and worried and tries to avoid getting roped into the team, but Mack pushes him to the two brothers and claims it is a good opportunity for him and the two brothers enter him in. Because of this, McQueen is dissapointed, but Mack claims he won't regret it. McQueen then get's Rusteze sponsor decals added on him and enters the race to take the old racer's place and is unhappy to be in the team and blames Mack for it, however, McQueen's mood lightens up and is happy to be racing and is impressed of what the track looks like. Strip Weathers and Chick Hicks watch McQueen as he races and the former is impressed of his performance whereas Chick judgementally looks down on him and believes he won't last. However, McQueen breaks the track record much to the surprisement of the announcer. Mack is also impressed and McQueen himself too alongside The King congratulating him while Chick miserably humphs. Rusty and Dusty also congratulate the young racer and offer him

to join their team, McQueen is this time, more positive about this and accepts and tells Mack what he thinks about it and tells the brothers that he wants him as his transporter which Mack also accepts and both of them get hired and that is how the two entered Rusteze. Mack and McQueen now with their new sponsorship, enter the Beachside 500 Piston Cup race, and Mack, struggling to find their trailer's parking slot gets the help with McQueen finding it. They meet Rusty and Dusty again and Mack thanks them for this great opportunity but McQueen doesn't pay any attention. They are then introduced to their pit crew with Lightning then once again daydreaming about racing. During the race, Lightning's crew chief decides to start things easy, but Lightning wants to hurry and get racing, so he leaves the pits before his bolts on his tires could be tightened. On the track, Chick crashes into Lightning, causing one of his tires fell out, so he returns to the pits. Mack says that the pit crew can help him, but Lightning calls himself a one-man show, something his crew chief doubted. The race starts and Lightning tries to squeeze through a gap, but the race cars came together, like how Racer 66 and Racer 99 did earlier in the story. Lightning attempts to go around, but a crash happened. Lightning makes it through the crash and goes to take a pit stop, but his pit crew refused to give him one until Lightning admits that he needs them. Once they were done, Lightning ends up in last place. However, he catches up until he gets behind the King and Chick on the final lap. He tries to pass them, to no avail, and comes in third with with the King in first and Chick second. The King drives over to Lightning and compliments his racing, saying it was fast and like a zig-zag, resulting in the name, "Lightning McQueen."

Lightning McQueen returns to finish the rest of the story, which continues at Bowling Lake, his fifth race. He has a new paint job with some lightning bolts and he knows that the race will be really special since he had the pole position. However, this race is on a historic road course, not an oval, and his new crew chief under the name of Chuck is very bossy. Lightning catches up with Chick and was about to pass him on the outside, but that causes him to fall behind instead. Chick then bumps into Lightning, but his crew chief describes the behavior as rubbing and that rubbing is a part of racing. He decided to pass Chick on the next corner. As Lightning passes a few cars, they pass him back at a turn, because he went to the the outside. At the next pit stop, his crew chief yells at him for taking turns on the outside and says he should be taking the apex of the corner, which means the highest point, but Lightning did not know what an apex was. Back in the race, Lightning decides to stay behind the other racers instead of going outside, and he does not fall behind. He catches up to the King and passes him on the inside, but still gets passed back. The King tells Lightning that how fast he leaves a corner is more important than how fast he enters it and drives away, but blows a tire and slows down. Lightning passes the King and catches up to Chick Hicks. As he tries to pass him, Chick slams into him, but this does not stop Lightning and Chick falls off the track.

Since the other racers are having tire problems, Lightning's crew chief tells him to play it safe and take a pit stop on the next lap, but Lightning refuses and takes the lead. His crew chief is getting angry and begins yelling, but this does not get McQueen to head into the pits, so the crew chief gives up. Soon, only five laps are remaining and the King and Chick are behind Lightning. Lightning's tires were getting lose, but he still refused to pit. On the final lap, Chick was about to pass the King, but got blocked. Lightning's tire blow right when he crosses the finish line and he wins. Finishing the story, Mack thinks that the King has helped Lightning win that race. After that race, Lightning was sure to become the first rookie to win a Piston Cup. The Dinoco 400 was now about to start. In the junior novel Struck by Lightning, McQueen's birthname is revealed to be Montgomery, or "Monty" for short.

In Cars, Lightning McQueen is a hotshot superstar who is on the cusp of becoming the first rookie ever to win the Piston Cup. The film opens at the Motor Speedway of the South, where the cocky and self-centered McQueen is competing in the Dinoco 400 for the champion title. After a three-way tie between him, seven-time champion The King and consistent runner-up Chick Hicks, Chick makes a bet with Lightning McQueen, where the first one to reach the tie-breaker race at the Los Angeles International Speedway wins the Dinoco sponsorship. Desperate to win, McQueen rushes to Mack, who forces him to make an appearance at his sponsor's tent, which Lightning McQueen hates. Soon, the two are on the road, and Lightning McQueen urges Mack to drive through the night, without resting. Mack, sleeping, is later harassed by a gang of delinquents, who accidentally open Lightning McQueen's trailer unknowingly releasing him. Lightning McQueen wakes up in the middle of the highway, and quickly tries to catch up with Mack. However, after mistaking a Peterbilt truck for him, McQueen figures that his best option is to search for help on the Interstate. McQueen rushes past a sleeping police officer named Sheriff, who chases him through a nearby town. While scared, Lightning accidentally knocks over a bunch of cans at Flo's, scratches Ramone's paint, knocks over Luigi's tires, and rips up the road with a statue of the town's founder, which ultimately lands him in the town's impound. When he wakes up in the morning, he discovers he is in the deserted town of Radiator Springs, where the angry residents sentence him to community service and make him fix the road by pulling a road paver named Bessie.

Persistent of making it to Los Angeles before Chick, Lightning first attempts to escape, but runs out of gas and is returned to the town, where he tries to fix the road quickly. The residents feel disrespected due to the rushed bumpy road, and Doc Hudson, the town's lawyer and doctor, challenges him to a road race, which Lightning McQueen loses, due to the lack of familiarity with dirt tracks. Though initially hesitant to affiliate himself with the townsfolk, Lightning ends up making friends with the residents, particularly the absent-minded Mater, and the beautiful attorney Sally, who Lightning quickly gains a crush on. After learning of the history behind both the town and Doc Hudson, who was previously a famous Piston Cup dirt track racer, Lightning begins to marvel at Doc's skill and the certain racing tricks that Doc knows. After taking a drive with Sally, Lightning finds Doc out at Willy's Butte. Later, McQueen finishes the road, and while the townsfolk originally think he left without saying goodbyes, McQueen surprises the residents by arriving and asking for a new paint job and new tires. That night, while enjoying a "cruise" with the residents, the press find McQueen and take him away to the tie-breaker race.

At the beginning of the race, Lightning McQueen cannot get the thought of his new friends out of his mind and falls behind The King and Chick. When Mack asks him if he is all right when he swerves out of control, Lightning stammers as he does not know what to say, but when he hears Doc stating that he didn't come all the way to the race to see McQueen quit, the latter is surprised to see his Radiator Springs friends have arrived to serve as his racing team and Doc as his crew chief, and with the help of his team, especially Guido, who performs the quickest pit stop in Piston Cup history, Lightning finds himself well ahead of Chick and The King. However, sick of constantly coming in second, Chick performs a PIT maneuver on Weathers, causing him to spin out and crash. When McQueen remembers Doc's words about winning, Lightning gives up his victory and instead decides to help Strip to the finish line so that Strip can finish his final race, much to the happiness of the fans. Though Chick technically won the race, he is ignored, and instead, fans congratulate McQueen. Lightning decides to permanently establish Radiator Springs as his hometown, and the publicity sparks great interest in the town.

In Mater and the Ghostlight, McQueen is one of the many who fall victim to Mater's pranks. While talking to Sally at Flo's V8 Café, McQueen inspects a pile of cans in the shape of Mater, but once he gets closer, Mater bursts through the stack, scaring McQueen. Mater teases Lightning, claiming he looks as if he has seen the Ghostlight. Sheriff warns Mater not to joke about the Ghostlight, and everyone listens as Sheriff tells a story about the mysterious creature. When Sheriff finishes, everyone hurries to sleep, leaving Mater alone in the streets. Mater returns home, paranoid about the Ghostlight. Once he reaches his garage, he discovers a blue light behind him, and Mater starts frantically driving around Radiator Springs. Unbeknownst to Mater, the light is actually just a lamp that McQueen and Guido placed on his tow hook as payback for his pranks. Once Mater loses his breath, he slows down and realizes the light is merely a lamp. McQueen and the other residents tease him, before hurriedly heading to sleep once more.

Having won his fourth Piston Cup, Lightning McQueen comes back to Radiator Springs with his truck hauler Mack to take a well-long break and spend the whole summer doing tons of activities with Mater. After just one day full of crazy activities, McQueen decides to just have a date with Sally for the evening, though Mater volunteers to be their waiter at the Wheel Well Motel. While fetching their drinks, Mater finds an Italian Formula One racer named Francesco Bernoulli, interviewed on the Mel Dorado Show bragging about being faster than McQueen any day and calls in to the show to have a talk with Francesco. McQueen catches eye, and upon hearing Francesco make insults about Mater himself, even learning from Sally that she also likes Francesco for his open wheels, takes over the call to talk things out with Bernoulli. Miles Axlerod, an oil billionaire who happened to be on the show too, invites Lightning McQueen to take part in his World Grand Prix competition, alongside Francesco, in order to promote his new renewable fuel, allinol, to the entire world which later turned out to be a plan to get rid of alternative fuel, and Lightning McQueen gladly agrees. Also, amidst advice from Sally, he decides to take Mater along, having not brought him to any of his races, and make him his crew chief, now that Doc had passed away.

In preparation, Ramone gives Lightning a fancy new paint job and spoiler, and Lightning McQueen, Mater, Luigi, Guido, Sarge, and Fillmore set off for Tokyo, which is where the welcome party is being hosted, as well as the first race. On the journey, Lightning McQueen and Mater are enjoying their time together: watching a game show on their plane's television, amazed by Tokyo's neon signs, and attending a karate show. At the opening ceremony, Lightning McQueen meets up with fellow racers Lewis Hamilton and Jeff Gorvette, but he soon notices that Mater has been acting the same since living in Radiator Springs and tries to explain that he should change his behavior so he could get used to all the different things outside Radiator Springs. However, Mater does not completely understand, deciding to help Lightning McQueen by introducing him to Italian racer Francesco Bernoulli. Although reluctant by this, Lightning McQueen is forced to mention to Francesco that it is an honor for them to meet. They both agree to have a toast, but both of them make the same dedication of their own win in the initial race to Sally. Lightning is later asked to take the stage with Axlerod, but the interview is interrupted when Mater, who has just consumed a high amount of wasabi, bursts onto the stage, and drinks water from the display. Due to the spiciness of the food, he states that people should not eat the pistachio ice cream (actually wasabi). Embarrassed, Mater is thinking he has leaked oil, and quickly hurries to the bathroom to clean up. However, an American secret agent who is being assaulted places his tracking beacon onto Mater. British agent Holley Shiftwell meets Mater, and he thinks that she is asking him out on a date.

Moments before the first race begins, Lightning McQueen makes his usual preparations, closing his eyes and talking to himself about keeping focus, only for Francesco Bernoulli to immediately mock him by making the same preparations. Annoyed, McQueen once again comments about his goal to beat Francesco. As the race begins, McQueen makes his way up the field, getting up to second place and behind Francesco Bernoulli. However, McQueen is not able to get past Francesco until they come up to the dirt section, where Mater, who is working as McQueen's crew chief, gives him the advice of using the same trick Doc had taught him. With Francesco Bernoulli struggling to drive on the dirt, Lightning McQueen makes an easy pass at the following chicane and takes the lead. However, drama occurs as a couple of the racecars flame out, leaving fans wondering if Allinol is responsible for the accidents. Next, McQueen begins hearing random words from Mater through his team radio, unaware that Mater is actually talking to someone else. Still being confused by Mater's words, McQueen moves to the outside of the loop up to Rainbow Bridge, enabling Francesco to snatch the lead by mistake. Shocked by what happened, McQueen goes after Francesco and goes side-by-side with him as they head towards the finish line. However, Francesco is able to cross the finish line first, while McQueen suddenly spins out and finishes second.

Feeling disappointed about the race results, McQueen is left wondering why this all happened, as Francesco brags during the podium interview about making a move whenever someone makes a mistake. Just then, McQueen notices Mater driving to the pits, and when no one is looking, he drives out of the podium interview and meets up with Mater, asking him why he was talking nonsense throughout the race. Mater explains that he had been away from the track because he heard a woman's voice talking to him out of nowhere and directing him through the streets, where he had seen a couple of cars involved in a fight and using flame-throwers. McQueen becomes mad, telling Mater that it is all his fault for making him lose the race and that he should not have brought him along so he could spend time imagining a girlfriend and watching people using flame-throwers in fights. Realizing what Lightning McQueen meant, Mater tries to make up by suggesting talking to someone about what happened, but McQueen is growling, berating poor Mater by saying that he wouldn't need his help from him at all, poor Mater sadly gulped, and decides to return home, and heads to the Tokyo airport (unbeknownst to McQueen and his team). However, at the airport, Finn McMissile, who thinks Mater is a spy, leads him away from the line and introduces himself. However, two lemons named Grem and Acer, who are on the lookout for Finn, spot him, and the two make an escape on Siddeley, Finn's plane.

Meanwhile, Team McQueen finds a note from Mater saying that he has decided to head back home following his argument with McQueen, not wanting to be responsible ever again for making him lose any more races. However, McQueen begins to feel sad, as he did not mean for Mater to leave. Despite being relieved that he would know Mater would be safe being in Radiator Springs, McQueen still feels down, thinking that he should not have been too hard on him. Arriving in Italy, McQueen and his team come across Luigi and Guido's old hometown, Carsoli, where the latter two are proud to be reunited with Uncle and Mama Topolino. The whole village hosts a celebration of Luigi and Guido's return, but Uncle Topolino begins to notice how down McQueen is. Having been told the whole thing by Luigi, Uncle Topolino explains to McQueen that everyone, even best friends, get into fights, as he remembers Luigi and Guido fighting all the time when they used to live with him.

Meanwhile, many of the fans of the World Grand Prix are still wondering if Allinol is safe, leading to Axlerod telling them that the fuel has been examined and is proven to be safe, leaving the second race to remain, taking place in Porto Corsa which is actually a lie to cover up his plot. However, Team McQueen begins to notice that McQueen feels sad. Fillmore advises him not to worry about his fuel, but McQueen admits that he is actually missing Mater. Furthermore, he gets insulted by Francesco saying that he is glad to be at home with his mother and fans. As the race goes ahead, Francesco soars into the lead as McQueen follows, trying to make numerous moves such as at the town's hairpin. On the final lap, McQueen temporarily leads, but as they approach the finish line, he and Francesco begin fighting for the lead, ending with McQueen crossing the finish line just ahead of Francesco. With this, Lightning McQueen celebrates his victory by using his bit, but it immediately ends as numerous ambulances rush past, making McQueen and Francesco notice on the television screen that the other race cars have involved a large crash, created by Grem and Acer's electromagnetic pulse camera, which blows their engines. This leads to everyone now completely concerned about its safety, which makes Axlerod decide that the last race in London will still be held, but no longer to be run on Allinol.

With the lemons arrested, everyone tries to figure out a way to get rid of the bomb. Thinking of only one option, Guido makes an attempt to unfasten the bolts, but his wheel gun would not fit. Then, Mater figures out who had put the bomb on, but he does not reveal it straight away, worried that no one will believe him, but McQueen encourages him, telling him to just be his regular self and that anyone not believing him should instead change themselves, not Mater himself. With no time to lose, Mater grabs McQueen and heads off to Buckingham Palace, where Axlerod is waiting with the Queen of England. With the Queen's bodyguards preventing Mater from getting any closer, Mater explains to them, Lightning McQueen, Finn McMissile and Holley Shiftwell that Axlerod is the one who activated the bomb, remembering that the bomb is attached with the same bolts used on an old engine shown on a photo that Finn and Holley had got, also that old engines contain oil. Axlerod, however, tries to tell everyone that none of this is true by lying, but Mater keeps on talking, saying that Axlerod is the leader of Professor Zündapp and the lemons, trying to make the world dismiss alternative fuel and buy regular oil from a secret oil reserve, because they had been laughed at for their entire lives. As the bomb gets closer to detonation, everyone braces themselves, while Axlerod tries to take Mater's comments as lies by lying that he is crazy, but as he is encountered by Mater, he is forced to make a voice command, which successfully turns off the bomb, and proves that Mater was right about everything, Zündapp, Axlerod and the lemons are sentenced to life in prison in London.

To congratulate his bravery, the Queen makes Mater a knight, which also makes him as popular as his best friend Lightning McQueen and Mater introduces him to Finn McMissile. As they arrive back in Radiator Springs, Mater tells Lightning McQueen and their friends about how he met Finn and Holley and helped them to learn information about Professor Zündapp and the lemons. Just then, Finn and Holley arrive, paying Mater and his friends a visit. McQueen is also given the time to ask how come he did not explode when the lemons were using their EMP emitter on him in London, but Finn and Holley point out that they do not know the reason, but also found out that Allinol was just gasoline upgraded by Axlerod to blow up when coming into contact with an electromagnetic pulse. McQueen then begins to realize that Fillmore had told him back in Italy that Allinol was safe, and everyone assumes that something had been done to McQueen's supply of Allinol before the race. Fillmore does note that before the race, McQueen's supply was replaced by his own organic fuel, but that Sarge actually did it, not Fillmore.

Later, Lightning McQueen invites all of the World Grand Prix racers to compete in Radiator Springs' unofficial Grand Prix, as a way to treat them to a great race, even knowing that thanks to the fate of the World Grand Prix, still no one knows who is the fastest in the world. Before lining up on the grid, McQueen has to introduce Francesco Bernoulli to Sally, who is honored by Francesco's comment about McQueen being very lucky to be racing, especially when racing against his rivals. Not long before the race, McQueen adds to Sally to wish him luck, to which Sally knows he will be lucky enough to win. This time, McQueen and Francesco are calmer towards each other, both having grins as they battle for the lead, while the other racers are enjoying it. Not long after, Mater joins in, having been given his rocket jets by Finn and Holley, and he and McQueen happily race each other to the end of the Radiator Springs Grand Prix, as Finn McMissile and Holley Shiftwell leave for their next mission.

Lightning has been racing in the Piston Cup for over 10 years. He has struck up friendships with fellow racers Cal Weathers - who is now racing for Dinoco with his uncle Strip "The King" Weathers as his crew chief - and Bobby Swift. Tex Dinoco would still like McQueen to race for him, even courting him within earshot of Cal. During the season, a newcomer named Jackson Storm seemingly comes out of nowhere and wins. McQueen later congratulates him only for Storm to state it was an honor to "finally beat him", later telling his crew that he "struck a nerve", showing that he likes to use emotional manipulation to get into his opponents' heads. Also, Storm uses the latest technology to train, making him a highly skilled precision racer. The season goes on with Jackson continuing to rack up wins, and more advanced, rookie racers begin supplanting the older generation. Cal chooses to retire, telling McQueen how much he valued their friendship. Bobby is fired by his sponsor and replaced with Danny Swervez. On the next race, McQueen gets increasingly desperate to win, but fortunately Guido is still fast at pit stops and gets him back out, with Sally and Mater cheering him on. Storm continues to mock him on the track, passing him. Swervez and Chase Racelott, another next-gen racer, also pass McQueen. Lightning pushes himself as hard as he can, but this causes his right rear tire to blow out, his overworked engine finally giving out, and he loses control. Lightning slams into the track's outside wall at the exit of turn four, is sent airborne, and he suffers a horrible rollover crash, leaving him critically injured, knocked out, and barely alive on the track's apron at the entrance of turn one. Sally, Mater, Guido and Luigi go out to see if he's okay while emergency responders check on him. Four months later, McQueen has recovered and is back in Radiator Springs. He's in Doc's old garage watching footage of the crash that ended his career

Lightning stands at around 5'10", which Mater surpasses by 6 inches. Coming from the sunny lands of Southern California, Lightning typically has a deep tan from his time in the sun, with ratty blonde hair that he previously had cut into a mullet. Until his losing streak and absence, Lightning was slim and well cut, but since the ten years of his Rookie days, he put on weight in both fat and muscle. He wears a silver promise ring that matches Sally's gold one.

Lightning is kind, positive, courageous, and brave, and enjoys having fun and spending time with his friends, especially Mater. Prior to his arrival in Radiator Springs, Lightning was cocky and self-centered, only caring about two things: winning and the pride that comes with it, though he never cheated like Chick Hicks. He didn't go a pit stop simply to win the Dinoco 400, which actually ended up in a 3-way tie which Mack congratulated him with. At the time, Lightning had no friends besides Mack and Harv, leaving him with limited social skills. Regardless, he was still a popular name in the racing world and was constantly being interviewed by the Press and admired by fans, much to his liking. When two fangirls drove up to him, they were taken away by security, after Lightning simply said, "I love being me." after they flash him. Though the Radiator Springs residents were not very fond of him at first, they later befriended Lightning, and McQueen learned why it is important to have good friends. Lightning established Radiator Springs as his home base, and the wide publicity sparked interest in the town, which was soon put back on the map.

Lightning's best friend is Mater, whom he met when he woke up in the Impound. While Lightning did not like Mater at first, he began to like him after he took Lightning tractor tipping in the middle of the night. Mater and McQueen do several things together, including going tractor tipping regularly, driving backwards, driving along the Ornament Valley railroad tracks without tire treads, and occasionally racing each other. However, the two have their fair share of fights; most notably when Mater accidentally threw Lightning off track during the first race of the World Grand Prix, due to Lightning mistaking his banter with Holley Shiftwell for advice. Angry, Lightning yells at Mater and tells him he neither needs nor wants his help anymore. Saddened by this, Mater decides to return home to avoid making Lightning lose another race and apologizes to Lighting through a note. However, at the end of the film, Lightning and Mater make up, and together they expose Miles Axlerod and his plan.

Lightning's primary interest when he is not spending quiet time with his friends is racing. As a famous Piston Cup race car himself, Lightning has a remarkable talent for it, and enjoys practicing and competing in road races whenever he is not out on the Piston Cup track. McQueen has many formidable opponents, the many inhabitants of Radiator Springs, a group of British and Mexican rivals, various allies of Chick Hicks, international superstars, and other Piston Cup racers, notably Chick Hicks and, for a short time, The King. Lightning's obsession with victory and fame came to a close once he remembered the words of his mentor, Doc Hudson: "It's just an empty cup." Lightning gave up his win at the tie-breaker race to help The King finish his last race. Lightning still enjoys spending quiet time with his friends, especially Sally Carrera, his girlfriend. Some of their favorite activities are taking a drive through the beautiful scenery of Tailfin Pass and enjoying dates at the Wheel Well Motel and other locations in Carburetor County.

As a world-famous race car driver, Lightning is incredibly gifted, and can perform a variety of stunts to assist him in winning his races. In terms of statistics, Lightning is usually portrayed with having outstanding acceleration, speed, handling, stability, agility, and boost, the latter of which he learned from his friend Fillmore, and in Cars: The Videogame and Cars: Mater-National Championship, he has three boost tanks, which he has earned throughout his time in Radiator Springs. Lightning can also tilt, which allows him to take turns sharper, as well as squeeze by opponents, which he once did in a Piston Cup race, where he used the wall to squeeze through the space between it and another racer. He can also jump, which allows him to hop over obstacles and other cars. McQueen is a very talented drifter as well; he learned this skill from Doc Hudson, who used to be a famous dirt track racer. Drifting, also called power-sliding in some Cars media, allows Lightning to take sharp turns without losing control and driving off of the track. His top speed is 200 mph (322 kph), with 750 HP and a 0-60 of 3.2 seconds. In all three installments of the Disney Infinity series, Lightning also has a tow hook, which can be used to tow other vehicles, a skill that is utilized for some missions in the Cars Play Set. If Lightning uses this ability on a player or toy that is not a car, such as Jack Sparrow, they will ride in a small wooden wagon that Lightning can pull around. In Cars 2: The Video Game and the Disney Infinity games; McQueen can also use weapons if he picks up one while racing. When using a Machine Gun or Missile Launcher, the compartments on his sides will open, allowing Lightning to fire them. In Mater's tall tales from the Cars Toons episodes, Lightning has been shown with a variety of other abilities, including:

Fighting Mr. aka Chick Hicks and his henchcars (Agent Mater) Performing stunts, although he did not successfully jump the Carburetor Canyon (Mater the Greater) Fighting Bulldozers and angering them with his red paint job (El Materdor) Possessing skills that resemble that of a dragon, and defeats Kabuto's Ninjas with little to no trouble (Tokyo Mater) Singing and playing the keyboard (Heavy Metal Mater) Monster Truck wrestling (Monster Truck Mater) Exploring space (Moon Mater) Taking care of crime (Mater Private Eye) Performing stunts in the air (Air Mater)

During his rookie season, Lightning had a rather small selection of friends. Though Rusty and Dusty Rust-eze, along with other rusty cars who idolize McQueen, acted kindly to him, he still dismissed them and did not enjoy making live appearances or interacting with them at all. However, Lightning did have one friend; his transporter and teammate Mack, who had befriended him during Lightning's early racing days, when he was still searching for a new sponsor. However, when Lightning was forced to stay in Radiator Springs after accidentally ripping up the road, though initially hesitant toward being associated with the town's residents, Lightning later befriended all of the cars. Many of the residents, including Luigi, Guido, Fillmore and Sarge, would later become part of McQueen's racing team, while Flo, Ramone, Lizzie, Red, and Sheriff, help him out on various occasions. However, Lightning's closest relationships include Mater and Sally, as well as Doc Hudson, prior to his death. Mater is Lightning's best friend, and the two enjoy participating in various activities with each other, including Tractor Tipping, messing around on the Ornament Valley railroad tracks, and sharing stories with each other. However, Lightning's closest relationships include Mater and Sally, as well as Doc Hudson, prior to his death. Sally, however, is Lightning's romantic interest. Upon meeting her in the courtroom, Lightning began to develop a crush on her, and the two would later begin to date at the end of Cars. Some of their favorite pastimes together including taking drives through Tailfin Pass, as well as enjoying a quiet evening at the Wheel Well Motel.

Lightning's main rival, in Cars, is Chick Hicks, a rude, selfish and dirty Piston Cup race car that has an intense rivalry with Lightning. Despite Chick's win at the 2005 tie-breaker race at the Los Angeles International Speedway, his victory was overshadowed by McQueen's action of helping The King to the finish line, who had previously been damaged by Chick. During the following season, Lightning and Chick's rivalry eventually inspired the Radiator Springs Grand Prix, a three-race event hosted in each of the three Carburetor County areas, with the final Piston Cup race of the season to finish it off. Another racing rival that Lightning had is Giovanni, although the two are friendly rivals, as seen in Cars: Mater-National Championship. Another racing rival that Lightning had bad blood with was Francesco Bernoulli, although the two would later overcome their differences and become friends, as evidenced in installments such as Cars 2: The Video Game, Cars: Fast as Lightning, and all three installments of the Disney Infinity series. After trash-talking Lightning on live television, Lightning and Francesco found themselves against each other in the World Grand Prix, in which Francesco managed to beat Lightning in the first race, but McQueen won at the following race, with the third and final event having no defined victor. In Cars 3, Jackson Storm, another rude, selfish and dirty Piston Cup race car, is the main rival of McQueen. Storm makes it clear from the start that he wants McQueen out of the sport as he sarcastically calls him "Champ" and even brags that it takes all he has to beat him despite him beating McQueen with ease. During the Los Angeles 500, the final race of the 2016 season, Storm tells McQueen to enjoy his retirement which puts McQueen into shock and causes him to struggle to the point of crashing while keeping up with the Next-Gens H.J. Hollis seems to have formed a rivalry with Lightning.

Lightning is a Piston Cup champion race car known all over the world for his quick and skillful style of racing. He has won 7 Piston Cups over the years and is currently working on his eighth. After his fourth win, he was accepted into the World Grand Prix, a championship involving 11 racers, each from a different part of the world and racing series. After he finished, he presumably went back to the Piston Cup. In 2017, he became Cruz Ramirez' crew chief. In 2022, he became an actor, a road rumbler, and a cryptid hunter. Additionally, Mater has told many tall tales that have featured McQueen in different professions than he usually can be seen in.

Throughout the franchise McQueen has had a pretty expansive team. Before the events of Cars, McQueen had three crew chiefs, one which was named Chuck. In Cars, McQueen's crew consisted of just pitties with one being called Chuck, the name of McQueen's previous crew chief however he claimed that his name was not Chuck. His team of pitties soon left him due to his arrogance as a racer leaving him with no one to work with him besides Mack, McQueen's hauler. During the tie-breaker race at the Los Angeles Speedway, Lightning gained a new team consisting of the folks from Radiator Springs. The most notable ones were Doc Hudson and Guido. Doc served as McQueen's crew chief for 4 years until the events between Cars: Race-O-Rama and Cars 2, where he passed away leaving him once again without a crew chief. However, during Cars 2 McQueen's crew changed once again for the World Grand Prix. The lineup this time was Mater as the crew chief, Luigi as the tire expert, Guido as the pitty, Fillmore as the fuel expert and Sarge as the suspension expert as well. Mater left Team McQueen after the Tokyo race due to him causing McQueen to lose only leaving 4 members left. During the London race McQueen's team got bigger, however, it was for emotional support rather than to help him during the race. During Cars 3, McQueen's team remains the same but during the Florida 500 Smokey was McQueen's temporary crew chief until Cruz joined the race and McQueen kept telling him to say ridiculous things to her which caused Smokey to step down and put McQueen into the spot of being the crew chief for the first time. Sometime after Cars 3, Mater became McQueen's crew chief, again.

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