Rust-eze was Lightning McQueen’s main racing sponsor in Pixar’s Cars.
Rust-eze is presented as a bumper-ointment company whose sponsorship supports McQueen at the beginning of his career. Its logo is displayed prominently on his body, and the company’s owners, Rusty and Dusty Rust-eze, help connect him with the racing world after his time in Radiator Springs.
McQueen initially dreams of replacing Rust-eze with Dinoco, the prestigious sponsor associated with The King. By the end of Cars, however, he chooses loyalty and gratitude over simply accepting the most glamorous offer. He keeps Rust-eze as his sponsor, while Dinoco rewards him in another way.
The sponsor is sometimes confused with Dinoco, which is a separate fictional fuel brand and racing sponsor. Octane Gain and Mood Springs are also Piston Cup sponsors, but neither is McQueen’s primary sponsor in the first film.