

However, because of his refusal to make regular pit stops and get new tires, his rear worn tires burst into flames on the final lap, causing him to skid and ultimately crawl to the finish line, barely managing to tie the King and Chick Hicks in a photo finish by sticking his tongue out at the edge of the finish line. The film opens in the last race of the 2006 Piston Cup stock car racing season and championship in the Motor Speedway of the South, where a skilled but arrogant rookie racecar Lightning McQueen has overtaken his opponents, past a huge wreck, and has built up a huge lead over the cup's defending soon retiring seven-time champion Strip "The King" Weathers and perennial runner-up Chick Hicks.

The film focuses on a rookie race car named Lightning McQueen who discovers the lost town of Radiator Springs on his way to the biggest race of his life. The story of Cars is set in an alternate universe where every character is a vehicle of various sorts, whether that be an automobile, an aircraft and a watercraft.
