Which fictional race car is Lightning McQueen's main rival in Pixar's Cars 3?

Jackson Storm is Lightning McQueen's main rival in Pixar's Cars 3.

Storm represents a new generation of race cars built around advanced technology, simulation, and highly optimized performance. His speed quickly makes him a dominant competitor in the Piston Cup racing series and exposes the limits of Lightning's older racing approach.

The rivalry drives the film's opening conflict. Lightning attempts to train and upgrade himself, but his efforts also lead him toward a different kind of solution: learning how to develop Cruz Ramirez as a racer.

Jackson Storm is distinct from Chick Hicks, Lightning's principal rival in the original Cars, and Francesco Bernoulli, the prominent competitor in Cars 2. Cal Weathers is another racer in Cars 3, but he is not the film's central antagonist.