The main character of the Disney and Pixar motion picture Cars, Lightning McQueen is a hotshot rookie racecar. He is the youngest to win the Piston Cup Championship in Nashville, Tennessee, where he is seen as #95. McQueen is headstrong, arrogant and talkative at the beginning of the movie. He is sponsored by Rust-eze Medicated Bumper Ointment, because he lost a lucrative endorsement deal by Dinoco. On his way to California, he gets lost and ends up in the tiny town of Radiator Springs. He expresses his disgust for the town, and his disappointment at being held up there. The town judge, Doc Hudson, orders him to fix the road that he ruined but he initially fails. All McQueen wants is to return to his life of fame and money in California, but is stuck in the town until he carries out his punishment. There he meets a handful of residents and soon befriends them, even falling in love with the town attorney, Sally Carrera. McQueen eventually finishes his job and returns to finish the race with the whole town behind him.
Lightning McQueen was based on the award-winning animator and chief creative officer John Lasseter. The racecar’s last name became a tribute to supervising animator Glenn McQueen, who passed away due to melanoma in 2002. Lightning McQueen is voiced by actor Owen Wilson.