In Pixar’s Cars, Lightning McQueen competes to win the fictional Piston Cup.
The Piston Cup is the film’s equivalent of a top stock-car racing championship. At the beginning of the story, Lightning is a talented but inexperienced rookie who finishes the season tied with Chick Hicks and Strip Weathers, known as The King.
Because the three racers are tied on points, a tiebreaking race is scheduled at the Los Angeles International Speedway. Lightning’s journey to that race is interrupted when he is stranded in Radiator Springs, where he must repair the road as punishment for damaging it.
The name is a playful reference to racing trophies and to automobile culture, but it is not the same competition as the World Grand Prix in Cars 2. Dinoco is a sponsor and racing brand within the fictional world, rather than the name of Lightning’s championship.