In Pixar’s Cars, the Piston Cup finale is held in 2006.
The film’s story takes place during the 2006 Piston Cup season, when rookie race car Lightning McQueen is tied with veteran drivers The King and Chick Hicks. A three-way tiebreaker race is arranged at the Los Angeles International Speedway after all three finish the season with the same number of points.
The year is easy to confuse with the movie’s release date. Cars premiered in 2006, and the story also uses 2006 as its season setting. The film’s road-trip plot begins when McQueen becomes separated from Mack while traveling to California for the decisive race.
The finale is not simply a normal championship event. It becomes the film’s emotional climax, contrasting McQueen’s ambition with the sportsmanship he learns in Radiator Springs. The race also brings together several characters whose lives changed during McQueen’s stay in town.