Cars 3 is the first Pixar Cars film to feature Jackson Storm.
Jackson Storm is a sleek, technologically advanced racer who becomes Lightning McQueen's principal rival in the 2017 film. His arrival represents a new generation of competitors trained with advanced simulation, data, and high-performance engineering.
Storm's dominance forces McQueen to confront the possibility that experience alone is no longer enough to remain at the top of the sport. The conflict drives McQueen toward training with Cruz Ramirez and eventually toward a different understanding of success and competition.
Storm does not appear in the first Cars film or Cars 2. Cars 2 focuses on the World Grand Prix and the international espionage storyline, with Francesco Bernoulli serving as McQueen's principal racing rival. Cars 3 returns the series to a more personal racing story centered on McQueen's career transition.