In Pixar's Cars, what trophy does the season champion win?

The season champion in Pixar's Cars wins the Piston Cup.

The Piston Cup is the championship awarded in the film's stock-car racing series. Lightning McQueen, The King, and Chick Hicks finish the season tied for the lead, so the final race determines the champion. McQueen's focus on winning the cup drives much of the plot before his experiences in Radiator Springs change his priorities.

The name is a playful reference to the real-world NASCAR Winston Cup, later known as the Nextel Cup and Sprint Cup. Pixar created a fictional racing championship while borrowing familiar elements of American stock-car culture, including oval tracks, pit crews, sponsors, and televised competition.

Doc Hudson's history is also tied to the Piston Cup: he won three championships before a crash ended his racing career. In Cars 3, McQueen's effort to return to the top again centers on the Piston Cup season. The trophy is not the World Grand Prix prize from Cars 2.