In Pixar’s Cars, Lightning McQueen enters the Piston Cup race after reaching California.
The Piston Cup is the fictional stock-car racing championship at the center of the film’s opening and finale. Lightning is sent to the tiebreaker race at the Los Angeles International Speedway after finishing tied with Chick Hicks and The King in the season standings.
The name deliberately evokes real American stock-car racing, especially NASCAR’s championship culture, without being an actual NASCAR event. Dinoco is the coveted sponsor associated with the champion’s prize. The World Grand Prix belongs to Cars 2, while the Florida 500 is the major race in Cars 3.