[2] Lightning was initially arrogant and struggled with teamwork until becoming stranded in Radiator Springs on U.S. Route 66, where he learned about the importance of humility from the locals.
Mack later arrives in Radiator Springs after Doc Hudson reveals Lightning's location and takes residence there in the film's epilogue.
Lightning overhears the exchange on his radio and exits the race to allow Cruz to take his place, giving her a chance to become a racer.
Storm is furious at the thought of a standard production car beating him in a race and rams Cruz into the wall on the final lap, but she manages to evade him and wins.
Known as Dinoco's "Golden Boy" having won several Piston Cups,[7] Weathers is hoping for his eighth win in the tiebreaker race before entering retirement so he can spend more time with his wife.
In Cars 3, Tex purchases Rust-eze Bumper Ointment from Sterling, thus allowing Lightning McQueen to race alongside Cruz under the merged Rust-eze/Dinoco brand.
[16] He is a stereotypical hippie,[17] as he has numerous peace signs and flowers painted on his body as well as a front license plate that acts as a soul patch.
Being an elderly car, she occasionally shows signs of dementia including forgetting things that she said moments ago and misremembering other characters names.
Van doesn't believe Mater's retelling of his spy adventure until Holley Shiftwell and Finn McMissile arrive, leaving him in astonishment.
Finn McMissile (voiced by Michael Caine in the second film and Martin Jarvis in all other media) is a British secret agent working for C.H.R.O.M.E.
Her model name appears to be in reference with a TVR sports car called the Tuscan Mark II, one of Holley's design inspirations.
Rod "Torque" Redline (voiced by Bruce Campbell) is an American spy who was supposed to meet up with Finn McMissile after infiltrating the Lemons.
Before he is captured and escorted away by Grem and Acer in Tokyo, he slipped a device under Mater so that it can be retrieved by Finn McMissile and Holley Shiftwell.
Francesco Bernoulli (voiced by John Turturro in the film and Cars 2: The Video Game and Roger Craig Smith in Kinect Rush: A Disney-Pixar Adventure and Disney Infinity) is an Italian open-wheeled race car based on the 2009 Ferrari F60 who serves as Lightning's primary racing rival in the World Grand Prix.
Celine Dephare is an old sports car resembling an Alfa Romeo Spider who works as a headlight vendor at the Marché Aux Pièces market in Paris, France.
Axlerod created the World Grand Prix to promote his new alternative fuel called Allinol that turns out to be ordinary gasoline engineered to ignite when hit with an electromagnetic pulse.
While they badly subdued Red "Torque" Redline, the duo later guarded the captured Mater, Holley Shiftwell, and Finn McMissile in London.
During the time when Mater was trying to get away from Lightning due to the bomb on his engine, Grem and Acer went after them only for Holley to come and making them slam into her and flying into a pub called Ye Left Turn Inn.
Miss Fritter (voiced by Lea DeLaria[19]) is a 1967 International Harvester Loadstar school bus modified for demolition derby racing, and a minor antagonist in Cars 3.
After heeding to Mater's advice, Lightning reunites with Cruz and heads to the abandoned Thomasville Speedway, where they suddenly meet Smokey on the track.
Cal Weathers (voiced by Kyle Petty) is a sky blue stock car (presumably a 2004 Dodge Intrepid NASCAR) who raced for Dinoco, and was one of Lightning McQueen's friends in the Piston Cup.
Since the Germany leg in the WATG rally, he gained blue racing stripes and the number 7 in a white circle on his body and wings.
Ishani (voiced by Priyanka Chopra) is a Pan-Asian champion from India,[23] based on the AeroCad AeroCanard[24] with over a billion racing fans.
Rochelle (voiced by Julia Louis-Dreyfus) is a racing plane from Canada[25] inspired by the Bay Super V, a conversion of the V-tail Model 35 Beechcraft Bonanza[24] painted pink and white with some red maple leaf designs and the number 22.
Ned and Zed (both voiced by Gabriel Iglesias) are the henchplanes of Ripslinger and his teammates[25] inspired by the Zivko Edge 540 and MX Aircraft MXS.
Echo (voiced by Anthony Edwards) is a Boeing F/A-18E Super Hornet from the Jolly Wrenches who he and Bravo rescued Dusty and guided him to land on the USS Dwight D. Flysenhower aircraft carrier.
Bravo (voiced by Val Kilmer) is another Boeing F/A-18E Super Hornet from the Jolly Wrenches who he and Echo rescued Dusty and guided him to land on the USS Dwight D. Flysenhower aircraft carrier.
Lil' Dipper (voiced by Julie Bowen) is a Super Scooper[30] based on the Grumman G-21 Goose and C-415 SuperScooper[31] She is also Dusty's biggest fan and love interest.
[31][33][34] Cabbie (voiced by Dale Dye) is a Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar retired from military service who airdrops the Smokejumpers to fire sites.
[33] Ryker (voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson) is an Oshkosh Striker 3000 transportation management safety truck with a roof-mounted water cannon for firefighting.