In Pixar's Cars, which racer is the film's main character?

Lightning McQueen is the main character of Pixar's Cars.

He begins the film as an ambitious rookie race car focused on winning the Piston Cup. After damaging a road in Radiator Springs, McQueen is ordered to repair it, and his forced stay changes his priorities and relationships.

Owen Wilson voices McQueen in the Cars films. The character's design combines features associated with stock cars and open-wheel racing, while his red paint and lightning-bolt graphics distinguish him visually from other competitors.

McQueen later appears in Cars 2 and Cars 3, as well as short films and other Pixar-related media. A common mix-up is calling Chick Hicks the protagonist because he is a prominent rival in the first film; Chick is the antagonist, not the central character.