Blindsided by a new generation of blazing-fast racers, the legendary Lightning McQueen is suddenly pushed out of the sport he loves. To get back in the game, he will need the help of an eager young race technician, Cruz Ramirez, with her own plan to...
Down at Thomasville Speedway, the spotlights were on and shining down on the track, as McQueen and Annalise do some laps around it. Smokey, Turbo, Cruz, and Braedey were all watching the two cars go round the track, the dust being kicked up as they go around.
"All right, all right." Smoke called to the two.
"Bring it in." Braedey called in.
Smokey drove up to McQueen and Annalise. "Lesson 1: you're old. Accept it."
Cruz drove up. "I told him that."
"He's probably losin' his hearing." Smokey joked.
"He said you're old and losing-!" Cruz shouted into McQueen's side.
Lightning looked annoyed. "I heard him!" He countered, Turbo and Annalise both snickering at this.
"You'll never be as fast as Storm. But you can be smarter than him." Smokey said to McQueen.
"Okay, what do I do?" McQueen asked to Smokey.
"Yes. How?" Annalise asked.
"They said you were in a... demolition derby." Smokey asked to McQueen, now starting to drive/circle around him.
"Yeah! It was terrible!" McQueen huffed. "And I was —"
"Sure? 'Cause there's not a scratch on ya." Smokey spoke up. Lightning looked around himself to see absolutely no damage. "Funny what a racer can do when he's not overthinking things."
"He's right." Braedey said to McQueen. "Let's work our way from there, and see what we can do." Annalise nodded in agreement, Turbo also curious about what Smokey might have in mind for the training.
~*~*~
The next morning, Guido was making modifications to Cruz, Smokey and the others watching on.
Cruz has the number 20 on her doors alongside a Jackson Storm streak, as well as the word Storm on her rear bumper, plus a set of dirt-track tyres and a spoiler on her rear.
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"You want to beat the Storm, you need someone to stand in for." Smokey explained to McQueen and Annalise, looking over to Cruz, now off the mechanic lifts. "Like a sparring partner."
"Makes sense." Braedey agreed with Smokey.
"I'm not so sure." Cruz pointed out to Smokey, since she was now really nervous. "I'm not a racer, just a trainer."
"Go ahead and gun it." Smokey suggested. Cruz did just that, revving her engine, now sounding loud and vicious. "Yeah. With no muffler, you even sound like Storm."
"Oh, you're going down, McQueen!" Cruz yelled out, McQueen and the others now backing up in response. "Get that arthritis old keister onto the track, so I can put you into the old folk's home against your will!" Cruz then stopped. "How is that?" She asked innocently.
