Lightning McQueen competes in the fictional Piston Cup series in Pixar’s Cars.
The Piston Cup is the main stock-car racing championship shown in the original film. Lightning is a rookie driver chasing the title when a three-way tie leads to a final race at the Los Angeles International Speedway. His rivals include Chick Hicks and Strip Weathers, the veteran racer known as The King.
The series is a fictional counterpart to American stock-car racing, especially NASCAR-style competition. Its name also echoes the Piston Cup trophy, an object that represents championship success throughout the films. Lightning’s pursuit of the cup is initially more important to him than friendship or teamwork, but his time in Radiator Springs changes his priorities.
The World Grand Prix is a different competition introduced in Cars 2. It is an international road-racing event rather than the domestic stock-car series from the first film. Cars 3 returns Lightning to Piston Cup racing while introducing a new generation of competitors.