What is the name of the race series featured in Pixar’s Cars?

The Piston Cup is the race series featured in Pixar’s Cars.

The original film follows Lightning McQueen as he competes for the Piston Cup, a fictional championship modeled broadly on American stock-car racing. The season ends with a three-way tie, sending McQueen, Chick Hicks, and Strip Weathers to a decisive final race in California.

The Piston Cup gives the first film its central sporting structure. It also explains McQueen’s ambition: he wants to win the championship and replace the retiring Strip Weathers, better known as The King. McQueen’s detour to Radiator Springs changes how he approaches the final race.

The Piston Cup should not be confused with the World Grand Prix in Cars 2, which is an international event. Cars 3 returns to the Piston Cup world while focusing on a newer generation of racers.