In Pixar's Cars 3, who directs Lightning McQueen's training for the Florida 500?

In Pixar's Cars 3, Cruz Ramirez directs Lightning McQueen's training for the Florida 500. Cruz is a modern racing trainer at the Rust-eze Racing Center, where she is assigned to help the veteran racer prepare for a comeback.

Cruz initially relies on advanced simulators, technical data, and strict performance measurements. McQueen's poor results lead to an argument and an unconventional training journey that includes dirt-track practice and a visit to Smokey's garage in Thomasville, Georgia.

Although Cruz begins as McQueen's trainer, she has her own unrealized racing ambitions. The film gradually shifts attention from McQueen's fear of being replaced to Cruz's opportunity to compete. This makes her role more than a supporting technical character. Natalie Certain is a racing analyst, while Smokey is Doc Hudson's former crew chief and mentor, so neither directs McQueen's initial Florida 500 training.