Characters of the Cars franchise introduced in its third film, Cars 3.
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Main racers
Cruz Ramírez
"You can use anything negative as fuel to push through to the positive!"
Click here to see her post-Florida 500 appearance
Voiced by: Cristela Alonzo
Basis: 2017 CRS Sports Coupe
"I used to watch you TV, flying through the air. You seemed so fearless. I wish I knew what that felt like."
A young, professional racing trainer with expertise in new technology, Cruz has admired Lightning since she was a kid and wanted to be a racer. She's ecstatic when he hires her to help him get back on his game.
- 11th-Hour Ranger: Played straight. Cruz spends much of the movie with Lightning hoping to help him get back on top, only to get lashed out at causing her to resign, but not before she reveals her dream of becoming a racer herself. At the time of the Florida 500, Sterling notices Cruz in her Storm getup and pesters her to come back to the training center because she isn't a racer. Lightning hears their argument over the mic, inspiring him to have Cruz take over mid-race to prove Sterling wrong. She ultimately wins under his number, resulting in both of them sharing the victory and winning the bet against Sterling.
- Always Someone Better: She turns out to be this for Lightning, and also this for Jackson.
- The Apprentice: To Lightning after the Florida 500, mimicking how he was this to Doc.
- Are You Sure You Want to Do That?: She felt this way toward Lightning when he decided to skip her training and go right to the simulator, unaware of the consequences that would come with it. She felt this way again in the Florida 500 as she is about to take over for him, as she knows he's giving up his bet with Sterling and will have to retire anyway as a result.
- Ascended Fangirl: Cruz is a big fan of Lightning and becomes his trainer. At the end, he becomes her racing coach.
- Best Friends-in-Law: In the final episode of Cars on the Road, her cousin marries Mater's sister, making Mater her cousin in-law.
- Break the Cutie: Receives one after Lightning yells at her in the trailer for showing him up and failing to help him, to the point of destroying her Crazy 8 trophy.Cruz: Mack! Pull over!
- Calling the Old Man Out: She gives one to Lightning after he lashes out at her and she reveals her prolonged desire to be a racer. She gives another, though minor one, to Sterling just after she wins the Florida 500, stating she would never race for him and quits her job as a trainer completely to race for Dinoco.
- Career Not Taken: By her own admission, she wanted to be a racer like Lightning. However, when she had a chance to make it to the big leagues, she got cold feet and gave up to become a trainer instead. Near the end of the movie, however, Lightning gives up his Piston Cup slot for her, allowing her to become a racer after all.
- Chair Reveal: How she is introduced, though not on an actual chair, but on the simulator platform.
- Character Catchphrase: When encouraging someone to be motivated by their current feeling, she says, "Use that!"
- Childish Tooth Gap: She has a gap on either side of her upper row of teeth.
- Color-Coded Characters: Gold, with red racing center tattoos. Trades this for metallic blue racing decals after she becomes a racer.
- Color Motif: She is vibrant gold, showing her ecstatic personality. Notably the same shade of gold as Lightning’s lightning bolt motif, foreshadowing her rise to becoming a racer.
- Cool Big Sis: Seems to be this to her students at the Rusteze Racing Center. For example, she shows a homesick racer his home in Mexico in order to coax him to drive faster on the treadmill.
- Costume Evolution: When we first meet Cruz, she starts out solely gold, with the racing center's insignia near her front wheels. Throughout the course of the movie, as she progresses from trainer to full-on racer, she first has the number 20 spray painted on her sides for the Crazy 8. In Thomasville, her body type undergoes a massive redesign, gaining a spoiler, exhaust pipes near her back wheels, and actual racing tires, along with losing her mirrors and license plate. When she takes over for Lightning midway through the Florida 500, she dons a pair of his Lightyear tires and has Ramone give her an odd-looking paint job to represent his number. Come the finale, when she officially joins the Piston Cup, she now has racing decals all over, along with the number 51 in Doc's honor.
- Dark and Troubled Past: Hoping to be a racer, she took up lessons with cars that were much bigger than her. However, when her first race was about to begin and the other cars were tensed up, she got worried and left, losing her only shot. She had her chance and she choose not to take it.
- Deuteragonist: She is the second lead of Cars 3. The film is as much her story as it is Lightning's.
- Distaff Counterpart: Judging by her outlook, she appears to be a female version of Lightning post-Heel–Face Turn.
- Due to the Dead: At the end of Cars 3 when she joins the Piston Cup family, her number is 51, which was Doc's during his racing days.
- Even the Girls Want Her: Natalie Certain was quite impressed with Cruz when she won the race.
- Foil:
- To Lightning. He never doubted his racing skills which made him an Insufferable Genius while Cruz was so intimidated by the other racers, that she gave it up before even trying. And she starts off as Lightning's trainer while he's the racer, but they switch positions at the end.
- She is this to Jackson Storm. Both are new-generation cars that are superior to older-generation racing cars like McQueen. The difference comes in the fact that Jackson is a jerk who looks down on the older models and is obsessed with proving his greatness, while Cruz looks up to and admires McQueen enough to want to become a racer herself and ultimately achieves her dreams through the help of her idol.
- Genki Girl: A somewhat subdued version in that she idolizes Lightning and everything he's accomplished.
- Guilt-Ridden Accomplice: The alternate climax blends this with Unwitting Pawn. When Cruz and Lightning come back for the the Florida 500, it is revealed that Sterling has been recording both their numbers throughout their training, and boots Lightning off the race because Cruz surpassed him. Cruz is horrified that she'll be replacing Lightning and refuses to take part, only entering at Lightning's insistance.
- Heroic BSoD: Has one as she reveals her dream of becoming a racer prior to resigning as Lightning's trainer, and another after Jackson taunts her stating she'll never be accepted as one.
- Hipster: Lightning views her in this manner as her techniques focus on being zen, doing Zumba-type exercises, preferring things of a more organic nature, and completely savvy and reliant on modern technology.
- Meaningful Name: Her first name, Cruz, is Spanish for "The Cross of Christ", while her last name, Ramirez, is Spanish for "judicious", referring to someone who does something with good sense or judgement.
- Mentor Archetype: She was Lightning's trainer to help him get ready for the Florida 500 and prove he's not too old to keep racing. At the end of the movie, he becomes her trainer.
- Nice Girl: She's a bit condescending towards Lightning at first - in part due to her believing him to be old and past his prime - but she quickly sheds this quality and is shown to be consistently friendly and encouraging towards him. She refuses to hit a crab during Lightning's training session on Fireball Beach, and is extremely hesitant when Lightning offers his racing slot to her during the climax of the movie. In Cars on the Road, she also helps mend Mater and Mato's fractured relationship.
- The Nicknamer: She has named her tires "María", "Juaníta", "Ronaldo", and "Debbie Richardson".
- Non-Protagonist Resolver: She is the one who finishes the Florida 500, not Lightning, albeit under his number. Due to this, they are announced as joint-winners and share the victory.
- Non-Standard Character Design:
- Shares this with Lightning, though it's much more noticeable after she becomes a race car. She is smaller than the other next-gens, almost the same size as Lightning's. Her body type is close to resembling Lightning's as well, and their hood areas are almost the same.
- When she becomes a race car at the end of the movie, her racing appearance is quite unique: she has her vibrant gold paint job combined with metallic blue Dinoco decals and number 51 like Lightning and the veterans, but the sponsor stickers near her front wheels are white and semitransparent like Jackson and the next-gens, sporting the same tires and hubcaps as them, making her a hybrid of the two different types.
- Paper-Thin Disguise: Uses mud to disguise herself to participate in the Crazy 8, under the alias "Frances Beltline". She also disguises herself as Storm using simply duct tape to act as Lightning's sparring partner during his return to form.
- Passing the Torch: Receives one from McQueen at Florida 500 when she finishes the race under his number and beats Jackson Storm.
- Punny Name: Cruz sounds like "cruise."
- Rags to Riches: Beginning as a simple trainer, she becomes a racer just like Lightning at the end of the movie with his help.
- Sarcasm-Blind: When Smokey sarcastically says he thinks Lightning is losing his hearing, she takes it literally and shouts at Lightning.
- Shut Up, Hannibal!: She screams one to Jackson during the final lap of the Florida 500 as she regains hope, leading to her iconic flip over him which causes her to win.
- Sixth Ranger: After helping Lightning finish the race and save his career, she moves to Radiator Springs and becomes his student.
- Superior Successor: After only a short bit of Training from Hell, she's the one who beats Jackson Storm.
- Symbol Motif Clothing: Initially the red racing center logo. After becoming a racer, the blue Dinoco stegosaurus.
- The Pollyanna: She's usually in a good mood.
- V8 Engine Noises: Normally, she has a non-descript engine note that at times sounds like a high-revving V10, or a high-revving 6-cylinder. During Lightning's training for the Florida 500, after her makeshift race conversion, she emits the classic high-revving cross-plane V8 note.
- Wham Line: I wanted to become a racer forever because of you.
Jackson Storm
"Don't you worry, pal. You had a good run. Enjoy your retirement!"
Voiced by:
Armie Hammer (Movie)
AJ Hamilton (Driven to Win)
Basis: 2017 Custom-Built Next-Gen Piston Cup Racer
Storm: You have no idea what a pleasure it is for me to finally beat you.
McQueen: Thanks... wait, did you say "meet" or "beat"?
Storm: I think you heard me.
McQueen: Thanks... wait, did you say "meet" or "beat"?
Storm: I think you heard me.
The latest and greatest in upcoming racers, with an attitude to match, Jackson is Lightning's main rival in Cars 3.
- Always Someone Better: He's this to Lightning and other older racers.
- Anti-Villain: Like Francesco Bernoulli, he's just a very talented Jerkass. The only villainous thing he does is trying to ram Cruz Ramirez into the wall in the finale.
- Big Bad: The main antagonist of Cars 3, serving as Lightning's (and eventually Cruz's) main opponent.
- Boring, but Practical: The key to his success lies in how well he can navigate the tracks, finding the most optimum circuit to take adjusted to circumvent whatever configuration his opponents are at the time. To his onlookers and rivals, it looks like magic, but in reality it's just consciously applied mathematics given the veneer of spontaneity because of his bravado.
- Brought to You by the Letter "S": The oversized lightning bolts on his sides resemble an S.
- Color-Coded Characters: He's the meanest of the racers, so naturally, he's black and dark indigo.
- Contrasting Sequel Antagonist: Jackson is quiet, cool, and fairly down-to-earth. A noticeable contrast to both Chick Hicks and Bernoulli, who are more loud and boastful.
- Dark Is Evil: He is black, which exaggerates his "dark" outlook. He’s not really evil, but he is a really big jerk.
- Dick Dastardly Stops to Cheat: Pulls one during the Florida 500 by ramming Cruz into the wall and taunting her even though he was in the lead, eventually causing her to regain hope which lets her overtake him for the win.
- Establishing Character Moment: When he first meets Lightning, he says to him, "You have no idea what a pleasure it is for me to finally beat you." He also proceeds to show him up and insult him over the course of the season.
- Evil Counterpart: He is a rude, arrogant, hotshot rookie racer, which is exactly how Lightning was in the first film. Downplayed in that he's not evil per se, but he is a dick. In addition, his name is an alternate form of Lightning's, since both have a weather-based definition in their names. He also shares a similar paint job in appearance (he being sleek black and blue, to Lightning being fiery red and gold), down to having a variation of Lightning's flash bolt motif.
- Faux Affably Evil: Storm likes to give his Trash Talk in a cool, casual tone of voice, preferring to use backhanded compliments to really get under people's skin.
- Jerkass: Jackson's arrogant and disrespectful to the older style racers, considering them to be old and out of date. His first line of dialogue in the film is "it's nice to finally beat you", said after coming out of nowhere to win a race with McQueen.
- Kick the Dog: His comments towards McQueen are easily considered as such. Especially during the Los Angeles 500 before overtaking him. He also does this with Cruz during the Florida 500.
- Knight of Cerebus: At least for Lightning's story arc (as he's nowhere near the level of sociopathy compared to Axlerod and Zündapp). Him being Always Someone Better to McQueen is what pushes the latter past his limits, leading him to his crash. He pretty much ushers in what is Lightning's most dire and serious chapter yet.
- Laser-Guided Karma: He gets beaten by someone mentored by Lightning, whom he looked down on.
- Last-Name Basis: He is referred to by last name throughout almost the whole movie.
- Meaningful Appearance: His gray eyes represent his "empty" and arrogant attitude toward Lightning and the fact he only cares about himself.
- Meaningful Name: Storms come before lightning.
- Oh, Crap!: Gets one during the Florida 500 when he notices Cruz has caught up to him once again, followed by a much bigger one when she flips over him and wins the race.
- Pet the Dog: In Driven To Win, he actually stands up for Lightning after Chick trash-talks him one too many times, admitting that McQueen at least spends his time training, unlike some cars.
- The Rival: For Lightning in Cars 3, as he's a jerkass who wants to wants to beat Lightning by any means necessary. He eventually becomes this to Cruz Ramirez after the latter joins at the last minute, and ends up BEATING him!
- Shadow Archetype: He is basically what Lightning could have become if he hadn't crashed into Radiator Springs.
- Sore Loser: Storm starts to show his nastier side when he realizes that Cruz is going to win, going as far as to grind her against the wall to keep that from happening.
- The Stoic: Downplayed in that he does show some emotion here and there, but compared to Chick Hicks and Bernoulli, Jackson is very calm and stern.
- Super Prototype: In a sense. He's the first new-generation car to join the Piston Cup, but still easily defeats even all other new-generation cars.
- Symbol Motif Clothing: The large, metallic blue lightning bolts on his sides, which are inflated in size and in the shape of an S.
- Trash Talk: Not above doing this, especially to older racers such as Lightning. He uses this on Cruz when she takes over for Lightning in the final race, and it almost works, but Lightning takes over as coach and gives her some encouragement to continue, which ultimately allows her to beat him.
- Technician vs. Performer: His trash-talk is about the fanciest tactic you can expect from him. Jackson doesn't take undue risks and he doesn't really do tricks. He's formidable in the sense that in terms of conventional racing, he has the winning formula down pat because of careful study and preparation. Naturally, he's ill-prepared when big gambles and spontaneous tactics actually work against him; thinking several steps ahead can be deleterious when your opponent switches up the route.
- Toyless Toyline Character: Downplayed. He does have diecasts and merchandise releases, but they all feature him in his rookie look, with the yellow double-stripe on his back bumper. He has yet to receive a diecast of his "champion" appearance— without the stripe and with golden Piston Cup logos added.
- V8 Engine Noises: How his engine sounds like.
- Villain Ball: After Cruz starts to perform concerningly well against him, he outright slows down to gaslight her with a Breaking Speech. While this almost works on Cruz, it backfires miserably on him when Lightning points out the obvious; he would only break momentum to do such if he was scared by Cruz's chances, leading to Cruz mercilessly turning said strategy against him.
- Villainous Breakdown:
- Once Cruz actually manages to catch up to him and threatens to overtake him, he resorts to trying to cause Cruz to spin out by ramming her into the side of the racing ring. Cruz manages to beat him by using one of Doc Hudson's techniques of flipping over him to escape and shooting toward the finish line, beating him and ruining his winning streak.
- He goes through another in Driven To Win once beaten in the final Master Level race:
That race was fixed for ratings! You know I can beat you anytime, Lightning. I can beat anyone, anywhere! Just bring it! - Villainy-Free Villain: Jackson Storm is a jerkass and the main rival to Lightning McQueen, but he never shows any villainy beyond that. He's never shown to be cheating or plotting to kill his enemy, he's just competition and acts like a jerk about it. Later subverted when he actively tries to make Cruz crash in the climax.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: His fate after the Florida 500 remains unknown.
- Where Is Your X Now?: Says this to Lightning at the start of the Los Angeles 500, doubling as a Wham Line:Hey, Champ... where'd all your friends go?
- Worthy Opponent: He actually sees Lightning as one, even confessing that at least McQueen spends his time training instead of posing in front of the camera.
- Would Hit a Girl: Tried to ram Cruz during their race.
- Younger Than They Look: He's a rookie and the first next-gen to join the Piston Cup series, yet his appearance is larger and muscular than the veterans, making him appear older. Same goes with the other next-gens.
Public figures
Sterling
"Your racing days are coming to an end. Every time you lose, you damage yourself."
Voiced by: Nathan Fillion
Basis: Revere Motors Model AG
An entrepreneur who takes over Rust-eze after the previous owners sell the company over to him, thus becoming Lightning's new boss.
- Big Bad: While Jackson Storm serves as Lightning's main racing rival, Sterling serves as Lightning's main opponent off the track.
- Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: He comes off as nice and friendly but in truth is a very shrew businessman who's trying to make Lightning quit racing so he can be the spokesman for the company.
- The Bet: Lightning makes one with him that if he can beat Storm, he can continue racing without having to be his corporate shill, if not, he'll lose his racing career forever. While Lightning doesn't finish the race himself, Cruz does so under his number which technically gives Lightning the win in their bet.
- Do Not Call Me "Paul": Just Sterling, not "Mr." Despite that, Lightning and Cruz address him as "Mr. Sterling" throughout the film with no trouble.
- Evil Plan: Get Lightning McQueen to retire from racing forever so he can take over as the sponsor for Rust-Eze.
- Get Out!: He wanted Lightning to give up racing in favor of becoming a businessman for his brand. He also wanted Cruz to leave the Florida 500 since she's just a trainer and nothing else.
- Humble Pie: After Lightning wins the race. Sterling didn't take his loss well and starts to whine about it as Tex has a talk with him offscreen giving him a deserved gentle humiliation.
- Icy Blue Eyes: Has deep bluish-grey eyes which hint at his strict personality and the fact he is secretly very haughty.
- Jerkass: Sterling's bad side begins to show over the course of the movie, culminating in him actively trying to prevent Cruz from replacing Lightning in the Florida race, not only because of his bet with Lightning, but also because he doesn't consider her anything more than a trainer. Then he acts as though he was on her side all along when she wins the race, but at that point everyone is just done with him.
- Meaningful Name: He is sterling silver, true to his name. His name also means "high-quality", referring to his image and attitude toward Lightning.
- Near-Villain Victory: Sure Lightning leaves the race halfway through to let Cruz take over, but if it weren't for their shared victory because of this, Sterling would've won.
- Oh, Crap!: When he see the leaderboard after the race and sees Lightning's name and number in first place alongside Cruz's, realizing he lost his bet with Lightning.
- Villain: Exit, Stage Left: After realizing Lightning won the bet due to his and Cruz's shared win, Tex escorts him away, saying they have a lot to talk about.
Natalie Certain
Voiced by: Kerry Washington
Basis: Evolv Motors Provoc Quantus 4S
A Piston Cup analyst and Chick Hicks' co-host.
- Amazon Chaser: She was highly, and even romantically, impressed with Cruz's win.
- Awesomeness by Analysis: A highly respected statistical analyst who knows her numbers, she is book-smart and mathematically gifted.
- Beleaguered Assistant: Driven to Win hints that she isn't all too fond of working with Chick, even saying that he deserves to get hit by her during a race if it happens, although knowing who Chick is, who can blame her?
- Dark Is Not Evil: She's painted maroon, but is not mean, though very strict.
- Meaningful Name: She seems to be certain about many things.
- Not So Above It All: Even she's stunned when Cruz wins the Florida 500.
- Remember the New Guy?: She is introduced in Cars 3 as the Piston Cup analyst, yet we never heard about her before then.
Thunder Hollow
Miss Fritter
"You about to feel the wrath of the Lower Belleville County Unified School District!"
Voiced by: Lea DeLaria
Basis: I.C.U. School Bus Type C
A hot-tempered run-down school bus who is the world champion of the Thunder Hollow Crazy 8.
- Ax-Crazy: Proudly hangs the license plates of the cars she literally demolished in her derbies as grisly trophies, not unlike how a Predator hangs skulls of worthy adversaries around his neck.
- Badass Teacher: Implied, as she is a school bus.
- Blood Knight: She lives for the thrill of battle in the demolition derbies.
- Defeat Means Friendship: The closing credits shows Fritter constantly sharing songs and laughter with McQueen and Cruz, implying she has become close friends with the cars who defeated her.
- Emerging from the Shadows: How she is introduced.
- From Nobody to Nightmare: "Miss Fritter's Racing Skoool" reveals she was just a regular run-of-the-mill bus before becoming the tough Crazy 8 champion of today.
- Graceful Loser: Far from being angry that Lightning and Cruz defeated her in battle, Fritter becomes one of their most devoted fans. It probably helps that she was already a self-professed Lightning fan.
- Icy Blue Eyes: Representing the fact she's tough and won't stop until she wins.
- Improbable Weapon User: She converted her stop sign into a buzz saw!
- Incoming Ham: One word: "Boo".
- The Juggernaut: Due to her size, she always takes out her opponents one at a time.
- Light Is Not Good: She's vibrant yellow, not helping to add to her hotheaded personality.
- Mundane Made Awesome: She's a modified school bus who is an expert at the Thunder Hollow demolition derby and has a buzz saw made from a stop sign.
- The Nicknamer: She calls Lightning (disguised as "Chester Whipplefilter") "Muddy Britches" and Cruz (disguised as Frances Beltline) "Lemonade".
- No Indoor Voice: She nearly always talks like this.
- Worthy Opponent: Comes to respect Lightning and Cruz for besting her in battle, and from that day offers her undying support and friendship whenever they hit the race tracks.
Arvy Motorhome
Voiced by: Jeremy Maxwell
Basis: 1995 Boxomatic Coach
A Crazy 8 racer and one of Miss Fritter's Mooks.
- All There in the Script: His name is only mentioned in merchandise.
- Ascended Extra: Has a larger role in "Miss Fritter's Racing Skoool" and is one of the playable characters in Driven To Win.
- Incoming Ham: "Have a nice trip!"
- The Dragon: Alongside Miss Fritter, he's obviously her second-in-command.
Dr. Damage
Voiced by: Bob Peterson
Basis: 1993 Silverliner Medi-cab
A Crazy 8 racer and another one of Miss Fritter's Mooks.
- Ascended Extra: Has a larger role in "Miss Fritter's Racing Skoool" and is one of the playable characters in Driven To Win.
- Ass Shove: Gets taken out of the demolition derby when another car named Taco knocks a taxi cab named Faregame through his back doors.
- Suddenly Voiced: Actually speaks coherently in "Miss Fritter’s Racing Skoool".
- Terse Talker: Only talks using a siren's imitation "Wee-oo-wee-oo".
Roscoe
Voiced by: Unknown
Basis: Hollismobile Campster
The Crazy 8's referee and gatekeeper at Thunder Hollow Speedway.
- All There in the Script: He is not named in the movie nor in the credits, but he is named in merchandise.
- But Thou Must!: "Rule number one: Gate closes, you race."
Thomasville
Smokey
"Racin' wasn't the best part of Hud's life. You were."
Voiced by: Chris Cooper
Basis: 1946 Hudson Pickup Truck
Owner of Smokey's Automotive Service and the former crew chief of Doc Hudson in his racing days.
- Cool Old Guy: He has ages, but the he is the best dang mechanic in town. His skills from the racing days hasn’t gone anywhere, either."Don't underestimate us old timers."
- Deadpan Snarker: “I think he’s losin’ his hearing.”
- Early-Bird Cameo: First appears in the archive footage of Doc's crash and is seen on various posters leading to the racing center's office.
- Irony: He's among those who tease Lightning about his age despite being decades older than him.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Grouchy and grumpy, but inside he is really caring for others and is always ready to have some good time with old friends.
- The Nicknamer: He refers to Doc as "Hud". He also calls Louise "Lou".
- No Celebrities Were Harmed: Is a reference to Smokey Yunick, of "Smokey's Best Damn Garage in Town" fame, and was heavily involved in early NASCAR racing.
- Perma-Stubble: Over the years, he went from a solid, disaturated red to faded red-orange with rust spots.
- Red Is Heroic: Initally dark red during Doc’s days, but became a rusty lighter red as the years passed.
- Retired Badass: Originally Doc's crew chief, he helps train Lightning to get back on track and eventually becomes his.
Louise "Barnstormer" Nash
Voiced by: Margo Martindale
Basis: 1950 Nash Ambassador
One of Doc Hudson's former competitors.
- Cool Old Lady: Sassy and fun-loving, despite her age, she still enjoys kicking off her hubcaps and racing at top speed.
- Did Not Get The Guy: Possibly. River jokes that she had "serious eyes" for Doc during his racing days. Louise claims it wouldn't have mattered as Doc wasn't much into fast women.
- I Have Many Names: She is nicknamed "Barnstormer" and also known as “First Lady of Racing”.
- No Celebrities Were Harmed: She is based on and named after NASCAR legend Louise Smith.
- Pink Means Feminine: She is off-white with pink accents.
- The Smurfette Principle: One of the first and only females racer in Doc's time, who was known as the "First Lady of Racing".
River Scott
Voiced by: Isaiah Whitlock Jr.
Basis: Late 1930s Dirt Track Racer
Another of Doc's former racing contemporary and friend, and loves to tell tales of the good old days.
- Blue Is Heroic: He is faded, navy blue.
- Dark Is Not Evil: Has a dark paint job, but is really friendly to Lightning and Cruz.
- No Celebrities Were Harmed: He is based on and named after NASCAR legend Wendell Scott.
Junior "Midnight" Moon
Voiced by: Junior Johnson
Basis: 1940 Ford Standard Coupe
A third former competitor of Doc. Hud and all the other early Piston Cup Competitors truly loved to race with him.
- Dark Is Not Evil: His is a jet-black paint job, but very kind to others.
- No Celebrities Were Harmed: He is voiced by and based on retired NASCAR legend Junior Johnson.
Leroy Heming
Basis: 1955 Chrysler C-300
A rookie Doc managed to beat around the end of his racing days.
- Anachronism Stew: He is a 1955 car model… who races against Doc Hudson who crashed in 1954.
- No Celebrities Were Harmed: He is based on NASCAR legend Tim Flock, who was best known for driving the #300 Chrysler in the mid 1950s (Ironically enough, the car that Tim Flock drove before the #300 Chrysler was one of the Fabulous Hudson Hornets).
- The Rival: A young rookie who was the closest thing Doc had to a racing rival.
- The Voiceless: Has no lines.
Veterans
Cal Weathers
Voiced by: Kyle Petty
Basis: Capitol Motors Mark II
Nephew of Strip "The King" Weathers and former racer for Dinoco. One of Lightning McQueen's closest friends.
- Butt-Monkey: Seems to be the butt of many jokes and has a hard time thinking of clever comebacks.
- Blue Is Heroic: Light blue, like his uncle, though more vibrant.
- Chaste Toons: Despite being voiced by Richard Petty's son, he is the nephew of Richard's character The King.
- Face Death with Dignity: Though not actual death, ultimately decides to retire following the next-gens’ introduction. This disappoints Lightning as he points out he’ll miss racing with him.
- I'm Standing Right Here: A Running Gag with him where he always ends up being within earshot of his friends taking lighthearted potshots at him.
- Remember the New Guy?: He took over racing for Dinoco after his uncle retired following the events of the first film, yet he was nowhere to be seen in the games that follow it, nor was he mentioned once.
- Retired Badass: Like his uncle. He was the first veteran to give up his career following the arrival of the next-gens, after suffering many losses against their rookies.
- Sweet Home Alabama: Speaks with a strong Southern accent, like his uncle.
- Vitriolic Best Buds: With Lightning and Bobby, who engage in playful banter with each other.
Bobby Swift
Voiced by: Angel Oquendo
Basis: Brawny Motor Co. Spark EA
Another of Lightning McQueen's friends, the veteran racer for Octain Gain.
- Ascended Extra: One of two veterans to be playable in Driven To Win along with Brick.
- Punny Name: They don't call him "Swift" for nothing.
- Purple Is Powerful: Is painted a vibrant purple with orange trim.
- Remember the New Guy?: He's a veteran and one of Lightning's friends, yet he wasn't seen at all in the first film nor the video games that come after it. Lightning also had no friends (except for Mack) prior to his arrival in Radiator Springs.
- Vitriolic Best Buds: Bobby, Lightning, Cal and Brick are always sparring with one another at the front of the pack, but no matter the outcome, they remain good buddies.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: We don't know what happens to him after his presumed replacement by Danny.
Brick Yardley
Voiced by: Will Collyer
Basis: Axxelo Fission EA
A third of Lightning's friends; the veteran racer for Vitoline.
- Ascended Extra: One of two veterans to be playable in Driven To Win along with Bobby.
- Punny Name: His name is a nod to "brickyard", a common nickname for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
- Remember the New Guy?: He wasn't present at all in the first film, yet he says he was racing for Vitoline for ten years when he gets fired.
- This Cannot Be!: His reaction to being fired by his sponsor so Chase Racelott can take over.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: His fate after being fired by Vitoline is unknown.
Next-Gens
Daniel "Danny" Swervez
Voiced by: Daniel Suarez
Basis: Next-Gen 2017 Race Car S8-4
The next-gen racer for Octain Gain, having replaced Bobby Swift.
- Defeat Means Friendship: He is the first to genuinely congratulate Cruz after she wins the Florida 500, having accepted her as a fellow racer. Credits show pictures of them having fun with each other, in similar vain to Lightning and Bobby.
- Everyone Has Standards: Notices Jackson cruelly taunting Cruz and is visibly repulsed.
- No Celebrities Were Harmed: It's no wonder he is voiced by the same man who replaced a suddenly retiring Carl Edwards.
- Purple Is Powerful: Is painted purple like Bobby.
Chase Racelott
Voiced by: Chase Elliott
Basis: Next-Gen 2017 Race Car SA-5
The next-gen racer for Vitoline, replacing Brick Yardley after he gets fired.
- Defeat Means Friendship: He congratulates Cruz after she wins the Florida 500, accepting her as a fellow racer.
- The Determinator: Despite getting caught up in a crash while on the track, he's still seen racing.
- No Celebrities Were Harmed: Chase Elliott was Rookie of the Year for 2016 and two-time polesitter for the Daytona 500, and replaced Jeff Gordon in the #24 following his retirement in 2015, just as what happens in the film.
Bubba Wheelhouse
Voiced by: Darrell "Bubba" Wallace Jr.
Basis: Next-Gen 2017 Race Car SA-3
The next-gen racer for Transberry Juice.
- Defeat Means Friendship: He congratulates Cruz after she wins the Florida 500, accepting her as a fellow racer. He also notably pulls the "blinker" joke on Cruz just as Lightning did with Cal at the start of the movie.
- No Celebrities Were Harmed: Like what occurs in the film, Wallace replaced Aric Almirola in the #43 for Richard Petty Motorsports during the 2017 season when Almirola broke his back in a brutal crash, forcing him out of the car for several months.
- Purple Is Powerful: Painted in violet color and is a fast next-gen racer.
Ryan "Inside" Laney
Voiced by: Ryan Blaney
Basis: Next-Gen 2017 Race Car SA-2
The next-gen racer for Team Blinkr.
- Defeat Means Friendship: He congratulates Cruz after she wins the Florida 500, accepting her as a fellow racer.
- Informed Attribute: His bio states he has a fun personality, but in the film he is shown to be serious and self-centered.
- No Celebrities Were Harmed: Sure his name is totally a pun on his voice actor's.
- Vibrant Orange: He is an orange racer who has a fun personality.
Harvey Rodcap
The next-gen racer for Easy Idle.
- Dark Is Not Evil: His primary color is a dark black. See Everyone Has Standards below.
- The Determinator: Gets caught in a crash during the Florida 500, but a few seconds later, and he's back in the race.
- Everyone Has Standards: Watches in shock as Lightning McQueen crashes during the Los Angeles 500.
Cam Spinner
Voiced by: Barney Dee (Cars 3 Driven to Win)
Basis: Next-Gen 2017 Race Car SB-9
The next-gen racer for Triple Dent.
- Promoted to Playable: He is one of the 2 Next-Gens (apart from Jackson Storm and Cruz Ramirez) to be playable in the tie-in game, Cars 3: Driven to Win
- ShoutOut: This isn't the 1st time where a brand known as ''Triple Dent'' appears in a Pixar movie.
Rich Mixon
Voiced by: Corey Krueger (Cars 3 Driven to Win)
Basis: Next-Gen 2017 Race Car SA-3
The next-gen racer for Tank Coat.
- No Celebrities Were Harmed: His name sounds very similar to a former United States president
. - Promoted to Playable: He is one of the 2 Next-Gens (apart from Jackson Storm and Cruz Ramirez) to be playable in the tie-in game, Cars 3: Driven to Win
