Montgomery "Lightning" McQueen is the main protagonist from Pixar's Cars franchise. He is voiced by Owen Wilson.
Lightning McQueen resides in Radiator Springs in Arizona, United States, where his racing headquarters are located. He is in a relationship with Sally Carrera.
Before getting into Radiator Springs, Lightning McQueen is flashy, brash, and supremely confident and had a lot of drive. A real whiz on the track, he's determined to race to victory on his first attempt in the prestigious Piston Cup. Lightning McQueen loves all the attention and adulation that comes with being famous. He has his eyes on a new lucrative sponsorship deal with Dinoco, which would replace his current deal with second-rate rust removal ointment Rust-eze. For Lightning McQueen, this would mean more money, fans, free helicopter rides, and even more fame.
Since the racetrack is always so well lit, Lightning McQueen isn't equipped with any headlights. Instead, he wears a pair of fake headlight stickers. Lightning McQueen takes a dim view of those cars who find this fact absolutely hilarious.
Although Lightning McQueen finds his lifestyle a real gas, deep down something is not quite right. Concentrating so much on winning has cost him all of his support team, and he has no real friends apart from his loyal driver truck, Mack. Often lapsing into daydreams, Lightning McQueen doesn't seem to know how to enjoy the here and now.
After getting into Radiator Springs, his time in the town has taught him what's really important, like true friends. Lightning McQueen values time with his girlfriend, Sally Carrera, and his friends, especially Mater, in Radiator Springs. He learned most of what he knows about racing from the late great Doc Hudson, and he is looking forward to passing this knowledge on as he enters the next phase of his career.
Lightning McQueen is a professional racer in the Piston Cup racing series, which emulates the NASCAR Cup Series, and acquires several Piston Cup victories during his career. In Cars 2, Lightning McQueen competes in the World Grand Prix, a short-lived event promoting a new alternative fuel called Allinol. At the end of Cars 3, Lightning McQueen briefly assumes the role of Cruz Ramirez's crew chief and mentor before returning to racing.
Trivia[]
- His racing number was going to be 57 at first, as a reference to John Lasseter's birth in 1957, but the filmmakers later changed it to "95", referencing Toy Story's release in 1995.
- Lightning McQueen is named after the late Pixar supervising animator Glenn McQueen.
- For some reason, Lightning McQueen is in his original Rust-eze paint job in the second film's teaser trailer, even though it never appeared in the film. However, it could be that the filmmakers did not have his new customization completed at the time.One of the children in Toy Story 3 who plays in Sunnyside's Caterpillar Room
- Lightning McQueen is the protagonist from Cars and Cars 3 and the deuteragonist from Cars 2.
- Despite his dislike of Rust-eze in the first film, Lightning McQueen does have his own commercial where he tells the viewer about the purpose of the ointment.
- A toy that looks similar to Lightning McQueen can be seen in the Butterfly Room in Toy Story 3.