Radiator Springs Eternal: Meet the Cars of Pixar’s 'Cars 3' (2024)

Get a look at both new characters from the film, as well as fresh renderings of old favorites.

By Davey G. Johnson
Radiator Springs Eternal: Meet the Cars of Pixar’s 'Cars 3' (1)

We recently had a chance to screen about 40 minutes of Cars 3, the upcoming installment in Pixar’s anthropomorphic-automobile saga. The good news is that, after the uneven, Mater-centric detour of the second movie, the focus is squarely back on what the series did best in the first film: weave a rich tapestry of automotive nerdery and idyllic Americana set against the backdrop of stock-car racing.

In the new film, the Last Great American Hero makes an appearance as Junior Moon, a home-brew “fuel” runner turned early racer. Nico Rosberg’s favorite guy, Lewis Hamilton, makes his second appearance in a Cars picture, this time as Lightning McQueen’s J.A.R.V.I.S.-like digital assistant, and the whole wacky gang from Radiator Springs returns—even the late Paul Newman’s Doc Hudson gets some screen time. Fresh on the scene are Cristela Alonzo’s Cruz Ramirez, the trainer who helps whip Lightning back into shape after a brutal crash; McQueen’s younger nemesis, Jackson Storm (Armie Hammer); and Nathan Fillion as Sterling, Lightning’s new team owner.

Click through for a look at both new characters from the film, as well as fresh renderings of old favorites.

1

Lightning McQueen

Radiator Springs Eternal: Meet the Cars of Pixar’s 'Cars 3' (2)

Voiced by Rushmore co-writer and Zoolander co-star Owen Wilson, the McQueen of Cars 3 is older and wearier, staring down the end of his professional racing career. The Pixar team took away some of his catlike bounce and treat him to a massive wreck and a subsequent grand funk that he’s gotta fight his way out of.

2

Cruz Ramirez

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An overly spunky trainer who works for Sterling’s squad, Cruz is tasked with getting McQueen back into shape; the friction and eventual mutual understanding between the characters provides the film’s emotional centerpiece. Cruz is voiced by comedienne Cristela Alonzo.

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3

Jackson Storm

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Like Lightning in the first film, Jackson Storm is quick, cocky, and friendless. He also lacks McQueen’s goofy charm. Younger, fitter, and faster than the aging vet, the Armie Hammer–voiced Storm stands as McQueen’s archrival on the track.

4

Strip “The King” Weathers

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The Petty Blue Plymouth Superbird, voiced by King Richard himself, returns for an appearance, this time as crew chief for his nephew, Cal Weathers.

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5

Cal Weathers

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Voiced by Kyle Petty, son of Richard and grandson of NASCAR pioneer Lee, Cal Weathers shares Lightning’s wariness of the young generation. Unlike McQueen, he may not be out to beat them.

6

Tex Dinoco

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’75 Cadillac Coupe DeVille Tex Dinoco, voiced by legendary racing promoter Humpy Wheeler, returns, still hoping to add McQueen to his roster.

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7

Sterling

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Browncoats rejoice! Firefly and Castle star Nathan Fillion makes an appearance as Sterling, McQueen’s new boss, whose plans for the aging champ may be at odds with McQueen’s own desires.

8

Natalie Certain

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Scandal’s Kerry Washington takes a turn as Natalie Certain, a statistical analyst whose calculations are anathema to McQueen’s seat-of-the-pants style.

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9

Junior “Midnight” Moon

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An old-time, bona fide legend of the early Piston Cup circuit and contemporary of the late Doc Hudson, McQueen’s mentor, Junior Moon is based on and voiced by the singular Junior Johnson, one of the most colorful characters in the history of American racing. His character model is based on Johnson’s old ’39 Ford.

10

River Scott

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Based on pioneering African-American driver Wendell Scott—the first black man to win a major NASCAR race—River Scott is voiced by The Wire’s Isiah Whitlock, Jr.

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11

Louise “Barnstormer” Nash

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Louise Smith passed away about two months before the first Cars film was released. The franchise pays tribute to the woman they called the First Lady of Racing with Louise Nash, voiced by Margo Martindale, who played the memorably hard Mags Bennett on Justified.

12

Smokey

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Chris Cooper gives voice to a former Piston Cup team owner based on racing’s most famous rule-bender, Smokey Yunick. If you’re even a casual motorsport aficionado, his first appearance in the film will tug hard at the heartstrings in that particular Pixar manner.

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13

Shannon Spokes

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Shannon Spake of Fox Sports appears in automotive form as Shannon Spokes, a track reporter for the Racing Sports Network.

14

Ramone

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Ramone, Cheech Marin’s ’59 Chevy, once again rolls low and slow on the streets of Radiator Springs.

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15

Sally Carrera

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Bonnie Hunt returns as Sally Carrera, McQueen’s 996-generation Porsche 911 girlfriend.

16

Mack

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Pixar stalwart John Ratzenberger reprises the role of McQueen’s race transporter, Mack.

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17

Fillmore

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Lloyd Sherr plays Fillmore for the second time. The Microbus was voiced by the late George Carlin in the first film.

18

Sarge

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Paul Dooley plays Willys MB Sarge for the third time.

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19

Flo

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Ramone’s wife and proprietor of the V8 Café, Flo, is once again voiced by Jenifer Lewis.

20

Lizzie

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Katherine Helmond returns as Radiator Springs’ doddering old Model T matriarch, Lizzie.

Radiator Springs Eternal: Meet the Cars of Pixar’s 'Cars 3' (22)

Davey G. Johnson

Contributing Editor

Davey G. Johnson has been writing about the machines that move us since 2001. His first automobile was an El Camino, his first motorcycle a Guzzi, and his first sports car a Porsche, informing his admittedly fungible belief that one should haul American, drive German, and ride Italian.

Remembering Davey

Radiator Springs Eternal: Meet the Cars of Pixar’s 'Cars 3' (2024)

FAQs

Is Cars 4 coming out? ›

But Could It Become Only The Second Pixar Franchise With 4 Movies? Cars 4 isn't confirmed, and probably won't be happening with Pixar's current slate of movies.

Why wasn t Holly Shiftwell in Cars 3? ›

It is unknown why Holley did not appear in Cars 3, but it is possible that the nature of her work meant that she was busy with her job around the time of the third film.

Who is the girl car in Cars 3? ›

There's also a new female character named Cruz Ramirez, a yellow coupe who is McQueen's trainer as he tries to make a comeback. Ward said Pixar wanted to capture what NASCAR race cars would look like in the future when it began designing the Jackson Storm car.

Why did Cars 3 flop? ›

4 Cars 3. Cars 2 had been far from Pixar's best movie, which meant audiences were extremely skeptical about the next installment in the trilogy. This was undoubtedly the biggest factor working against Cars 3's box office success, as the previous movie had soured many audiences on the whole concept.

Will there be a Toy Story 5? ›

Toy Story 5 is officially coming our way in 2026, marking a surprise return of Woody and Buzz into our lives. The fifth movie was confirmed in February 2023 alongside Frozen 3 and Zootopia 2, with Disney later announcing its 2026 release date in April 2024.

How old is Lightning McQueen in Cars 3? ›

How Old is Lightning McQueen? In the original Cars movie, McQueen is in his early-to-mid twenties, and reaches the apex of his career in his late thirties in Cars 2 , before approaching obsolescence and retirement in his early forties through Cars 3 .

Is Mater still dating Holley? ›

In Cars 3, it is revealed that Mater and Holley's relationship is still going very strong and at the end of Cars 3, Mater distracts Sterling by mentioning that he has church flaps, hinting that he's someday getting married to Holley Shiftwell.

Who is McQueen's girlfriend? ›

Sally Carrera is a major character in the Disney/Pixar Cars franchise. She is the attorney of Radiator Springs and Lightning McQueen's girlfriend.

Why is Cars 3 better than 2? ›

With more of a focus on Lightning McQueen and his internal struggle, the story has a lot more depth than Cars 2. The story isn't original by any means, but it's told in an interesting way and is a pretty fun watch. Was this review helpful?

How did Cars 3 end? ›

Miss Fritter had grazed Lightning's tire on the way by, causing him to get stuck. She uprights herself and bears down on him. At the last second, he gets his tires to grip and speeds out of the way, making her crash. Cruz is the only undamaged car left, so she is declared the winner.

Why is Lightning McQueen slower in Cars 3? ›

After Lightning accepts that he is an older car and will never be as fast as Storm, Smokey and Doc's old friends, Louise "Barnstormer" Nash, River Scott, and Junior "Midnight" Moon, help him learn new tricks to overcome his speed disadvantage, using Cruz as his sparring partner.

Is Sterling bad in Cars 3? ›

Though most fans believed that Sterling is the second and/or main antagonist of Cars 3, Nathan Fillion says that Sterling is nothing more than a business professional.

Why didn t Lightning McQueen win in Cars 3? ›

Why didn't McQueen cross the finish line before helping the king? Because helping him was more important than winning. Helping someone who is older than you is more of a reward. If you want to get technical, the racing world would have viewed Lighting as a jerk for not helping a legend like King.

Was Cars 2 hated? ›

It ruined Pixar's Reputation for 4-5 years While Cars 2 was like the films before it a box office success, It received Mixed to negative reviews from critics calling it wildly inferior to Toy Story 3 and all the other Pixar Films.

Is Cars 3 the last one? ›

In December 2023, during an interview at the 2023 Porsche Rennsport Reunion Event, the creative director of the saga, Jay Ward, revealed that Pixar is developing new projects related to the franchise: "There are more Cars things brewing, I can't say much more yet. Cars has got a life that will keep going.

Who plays Mater in Cars 4? ›

Who is the bad guy in Cars 4? ›

Jackson Storm is the main antagonist of Cars 3 and a major character in Cars 4:Last Call For Ripslinger. Jackson replaced Björn Anderson as the IGNTR racer. Jackson is introduced as a rookie in the racing world, where he tries his best to beat Lightning McQueen.

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