In Pixar's Cars, the racing trophy Lightning McQueen hopes to win is the Piston Cup.
The Piston Cup is the championship prize in the fictional stock-car racing world of Cars. Lightning McQueen begins the film as a talented but arrogant rookie who is tied with veteran racers The King and Chick Hicks after the season finale. A three-way tie leads to a final race in California, which sets the story in motion.
The name is a playful reference to piston-powered engines and to real American stock-car racing trophies. The film's race scenes draw strongly on NASCAR-style oval racing, but the Piston Cup itself is an invented competition rather than an official NASCAR award.
The Piston Cup should not be confused with the Dinoco sponsorship, which is a separate prize and career opportunity connected with The King. Lightning's early sponsor, Rust-eze, also has a different role: it supports him commercially while he competes for the championship.