CARS

Cars takes place in a world populated by anthropomorphic motor vehicles. The film begins with the last race of the Piston Cup championship, which ends in a three-way tie between retiring veteran Strip Weathers, perennial runner-up Chick Hicks, and rookie Lightning McQueen. The tiebreaker race is scheduled for one week later at the Los Angeles International Speedway. Lightning is desperate to win the race, as it would allow him to leave the unglamorous sponsorship of RustEze, a rust treatment for old cars, and allow him to take The King's place as the sponsored car of the lucrative Dinoco team. Eager to start practice in California as soon as possible, Lightning pushes his big rig, Mack, to travel all night long. When Mack starts nodding off, he becomes the victim of a gang of reckless street racers, who play Kenny G's "Songbird" to make him sleep, causing the sleeping McQueen to roll out of the back of the trailer unnoticed. McQueen wakes up in traffic, becomes lost, and in a panic ends up in the run-down town of Radiator Springs. A mishap with the local sheriff causes McQueen to inadvertently tear up the town's main road. McQueen is arrested, then tried the next day by the town's judge and doctor, Doc Hudson, who at first wants him to leave Radiator Springs immediately; but at the insistence of local lawyer Sally Carrera, Doc instead sentences him to repave the road as community service. McQueen initially tries to rush through the job, but makes a sloppy, bumpy mess of the road and is forced to start over again. As the days pass, he becomes friends with many of the townsfolk and learns of their past. Radiator Springs was once a popular stopover along U.S. Route 66, but with the construction of nearby Interstate 40 that allowed people to bypass the town, Radiator Springs was effectively erased from the map, causing many of the businesses and residents to leave. McQueen also discovers that Doc is actually the Fabulous Hudson Hornet, a three-time Piston Cup champion who was forced out of competition after a serious accident ended his career over 50 years ago, but remains adept at racing. However, he remains bitter about the fact that the racing community was so quick to abandon him after the accident, and refuses McQueen's requests to train him. Encouraged by his new friends and a countryside cruise with Sally, McQueen successfully completes the road and spends an extra day in town, visiting the local shops to outfit him with new tires and equipment. That night,

Mack and the media converge on the town, having been tipped off by Doc as to Lightning's whereabouts, and Lightning reluctantly sets off for California, much to his dismay. Sally is upset with Doc for thinking only of himself, and the other townsfolk are saddened to see McQueen go. As they retire to their homes, the town's neon is turned off, and as the town returns to its previous quietness, Doc realizes just how much McQueen meant to them. As the tie-breaker race begins, McQueen's thoughts keep drifting back to Radiator Springs and he is distracted from performing well. However, he is surprised to discover that his new friends have come along to serve as his pit crew along with Mack, as well as Doc once again outfitted in his old racing colors serving as McQueen's new crew chief. Heartened by their presence and recalling the tricks they taught him, McQueen is able to counteract Chick Hicks' dirty driving tactics and take the lead of the race. On the final lap, Chick, fed up with always finishing behind The King, purposely rams The King so violently that he is sent flying off the track and into a devastating and horrifying roll-over wreck, much to the crowd's shock. McQueen, seeing the King crash, remembers Doc's bleary departure from racing and stops just short of the finish line, letting Chick win the Piston Cup. McQueen then reverses to help push The King the rest of the way across the finish line, allowing him to complete his last race and retire with dignity, much to the crowd's pleasure. As for Chick, his victory is rejected and he is booed off the awards ceremony stage for purposely ramming The King, much to his anger, rendering his Piston Cup victory hollow and meaningless. The King and his wife, Dinoco, the press, and the crowd praise McQueen for his sportsmanship. McQueen is offered the Dinoco sponsorship but turns it down, saying that he would rather stay with the Rust-Eze team that brought him this far. McQueen returns to Radiator Springs and decides to move his team's headquarters there, helping to revitalize the town and its businesses.