Cars 3 was the first Pixar Cars film directed by someone other than John Lasseter.
John Lasseter directed Cars, released in 2006, and co-directed Cars 2 with Brad Lewis, released in 2011. Cars 3, released in 2017, was directed by Brian Fee, making it the first feature in the trilogy without Lasseter as director or co-director.
Fee had worked on Pixar storyboards before directing Cars 3. His film returns the franchise to a more traditional racing-and-character focus after Cars 2 expanded into an international spy adventure. The story centers on Lightning McQueen’s response to Jackson Storm and his mentorship of Cruz Ramirez.
Cars on the Road is a later television series rather than a theatrical feature in the trilogy. It follows Lightning and Mater on a road trip and therefore does not change the feature-film directing sequence.