In Pixar’s Cars, which character provides the voice of Lightning McQueen?

Owen Wilson provides the voice of Lightning McQueen in Pixar’s Cars.

Lightning McQueen is the film’s central character: a talented but arrogant rookie race car whose number is 95. Wilson’s conversational delivery helped define McQueen as confident, impatient, and gradually more thoughtful as he becomes part of Radiator Springs.

The cast also includes Paul Newman as Doc Hudson, Larry the Cable Guy as Mater, Bonnie Hunt as Sally Carrera, and Richard Petty as the voice of The King. These performances give the fictional automotive world distinct regional and personality-based voices.

A common mix-up is assuming that McQueen is named after a real racing driver. The character’s name is fictional, although his design and story draw on several kinds of stock-car and open-road racing influences. Wilson returned to voice McQueen in Cars 2 and Cars 3, as well as related Cars projects.