Lightning McQueen has 14 different paint variants, ranging from subtly different amounts of dirt and dust to the completely new paint jobs near the end of the film. Now a permanent resident of Radiator Springs, Lightning has become a bona fide worldwide celebrity as winner of four Piston Cups. This time around, Lightning is racing in the first ever World Grand Prix to determine who's the world's fastest car. Smokey tells Lightning that he never heard from Doc after he moved to Radiator Springs, but one day he started getting letters from him. Luigi's Uncle Topolino tells him that he has been too harsh on Mater and should accept him for who he is.

He was constantly complaining during his first two days of re-paving the road in Radiator Springs, but later got over it.They stop at the now-closed Wheel Well Motel where Sally reveals she was once a lawyer who was unhappy with her life. Lightning is a red racecar sponsored by Rust-eze Medicated Bumper Ointment ("With Just a Little Rust-eze, you can look like Lightning McQueen! When Lightning wakes up he notices that Mack is gone, and tries to follow him only to lose him in the process, and after a turn of events including almost being hit by a train and running into a grumpy and cranky Peterbilt, ends up in Radiator Springs where he accidentally tears up the main road and is arrested by Sheriff, who then tells him, "Boy, you're in a heap of trouble.

Uncle Topolino and Mama Topolino drive away, conversing in Italian) —Uncle Topolino gives Lightning some wise advice.Likewise, in the first teaser trailer for Cars 3, McQueen is sporting the original Rust-eze logo when he crashes, unlike the final film with the same scene. He chases Mater through the streets, trying to apologize, not knowing that he had a bomb in his engine.

While night driving, Lightning's suit gets torn off by the trees, giving him back his original racing colors.

Lightning gets a new look, which is Ramone's custom job but with the Rust-eze logo, his racing tires, and a circular black and white 95 logo. Inspired by the vastly popular Disney Pixar film, Cars, the front depicts Lightning McQueen and his best friend Mater getting 'Ready for the Road', while the back of the design shows a complementary logo print. When she told him she always wanted to be a racer, he apologized, and brought her with him to Thomasville to keep training. Lightning is introduced to Cruz Ramirez, a friendly and enthusiastic trainer who first riles Lightning up by saying he's an imposter, but this was quickly shown as a motivational tactic.

is a transliteration of "Speedy", and he is named after the Warner Brothers character Speedy Gonzales. As Luigi, Guido, Sarge, and Fillmore volunteer to fill in as his pit crew once more, Lightning gladly accepted the challenge.McQueen convinces Cruz to finish the Florida 500 race for him, after realizing that she has what it takes to be a racer.