Which race does Chick Hicks win at the end of Pixar’s Cars?

Chick Hicks wins the Piston Cup at the end of Pixar’s Cars.

The film’s final race is a three-way contest between Lightning McQueen, Chick Hicks, and The King, whose real name is Strip Weathers. Lightning is close to victory when Chick deliberately causes The King to crash. Lightning then stops before the finish line and pushes The King across it, forfeiting his chance to win.

Chick crosses the line first and is awarded the Piston Cup, but the crowd and sponsors reject his unsportsmanlike behavior. Lightning is offered the Dinoco sponsorship that Chick has won, yet he chooses to remain with Rust-eze, the sponsor that supported him.

The result is often misremembered because Lightning is the film’s hero and becomes the moral winner. The Piston Cup is a fictional championship modeled on American stock-car racing, especially NASCAR-style events. Chick’s victory is official, even though it is portrayed as hollow.