Human!Lightning McQueen x Reader (Title TBD)

The Race That Started It All

But as cocky and brash as McQueen was, one of his best and most respectable qualities was his determination and his drive to win. He was going to get through the wreckage, he just was. Narrowing his eyes in intense concentration, he started to race not with his mind but with his instincts as he swiftly maneuvered through the precarious scrambled mess in his midst. Although deep in the zone, McQueen relished in the immense pride he was feeling from the adrenaline of effortlessly powering through without fail. His cockiness strengthened when he noticed something up ahead that would result in the greatest and flashiest escape route ever.

Readying the clutch, his car skidded to its side in a manner so precise that he was able to get a little air off one of the crashed race cars. Turning the opposite direction at the very last second, it allowed him a straighter launch that would result in a more manageable landing. His car landed perfectly on one of the flipped cars, tires landing on tires allowing for the perfect bounce as he was propelled into the air. "Yeah!" McQueen sighed to himself proudly. With that, his car landed back on the ground and he raced onwards.

That spectacular move hyped up the audience tenfold, with cheers erupting louder than ever. "Yeah! Ka-chow!" McQueen yelled, pumping his fist out of his window and into the air victoriously as he clicked on his lucky lighting bolt sticker, giving the crowd his trademark flash as the sticker's bright light pierced their eyes.

McQueen slowly calmed his adrenaline and drove easy knowing he had the track all to himself. Cars too damaged to continue racing were forced off the track. Everyone else desperately needed to hit the pits, the majority because of the damage suffered in the wreckage. The King and Chick Hicks were merely smart racers and knew they needed to take care of their cars. And by staying out on the track, not only would he take the lead but he would be first to take off after the restart. McQueen smirked with a small chuckle when he saw Chick Hicks getting caught up in the pits as he tried to leave.

The racers, keeping minimal speed, soon approached the checkered line. With a wave of the flag, the restart commenced and the race was back on! McQueen sped off, whooshing down the straight always and burning through the turns like they were nothing. His lead continued throughout the race for laps on end. Eventually, he heard a faint bleep in his car, and with a look at his dashboard he saw he needed gas. Well, tires too but he didn't have time for that.

He pulled into the pits and immediately, his crew started to fill his car up with gas. When others started to bring out tires, he leaned out the window and shouted, "No, no, no, no! No tires, just gas!"

"What?! You need tires, you idiot!" One member yelled back furiously, but the response he got from McQueen was nothing short of impolite. The rookie rolled his eyes with a scoff, pulling his upper half back into his car and sped off, ripping his car from the gas pump. The crew member slammed the tire he was holding onto the ground with an audible growl.

McQueen retained his lead from earlier as he exited the pits, and kept it for the rest of the race right up to the very last lap. He had crept right up onto the bumpers of the racers at the back of the pack. He was in the verge of lapping others. McQueen smirked to himself proudly, knowing his victory was secure. "Checkered flag, here I come!" He cheered for himself as he neared the final turn of the track.

However, his confidence was short lived when one of his rear tires exploded.

~~~~~~~~

"Oh, no! McQueen has blown a tire!" Announcer Darrell Cartrip's voice rang out into your cozy little room.

"And with only one turn to go! Can he make it!?" Bob Cutlass chimed in.

"Come on!" You quietly pleaded as you anxiously watched the broadcast of the final Piston Cup race of the season. You were literally on the edge of your seat, on the verge of falling off your bed as you leaned even closer to the screen of your television.