In Pixar's Cars 3, who is the young racer assigned to train Lightning McQueen?

Cruz Ramirez is assigned to train Lightning McQueen in Pixar's Cars 3.

Cruz works as a trainer at the Rust-eze Racing Center after McQueen's team recruits her to help him compete against the faster next-generation racer Jackson Storm. She begins with a simulator-based approach, but McQueen eventually takes her on a road trip that reveals her own unrealized racing ability.

Cruz's role develops from trainer to competitor. Her enthusiasm and technical knowledge contrast with McQueen's old-school experience, and their partnership becomes central to the film's theme of passing knowledge between generations. She is not merely a mechanic or a background team member.

Natalie Certain is a racing analyst, while Sally Carrera is McQueen's friend and partner. Louise Nash is a legendary former racer encountered during McQueen's research. Those characters are connected to racing, but Cruz Ramirez is the specific character assigned to train him.