Chapter 2

"Oh, my!" said Bob Cutlass, shocked. "It's Jackson Storm for the win! A huge upset!"

Darrell Cartrip chimed in. "Neither Lightnin' nor Bobby ever saw him comin'!"

Lightning rolled to a stop in front of his Rust-eze pit crew. He watched the replay on the Jumbotron as the track announcer excitedly reported over the PA, "Wow, what a finish! Even the crowd seems stunned. I don't remember the last time a racer came out of the blue to win it. It's one thing to start fast, but we haven't seen anyone cross the line with that kind of speed and power since a young Lightning McQueen first arrived on the scene."

While the other race cars headed back to their trailers, Lightning lingered for a moment, still completely taken aback. He never would have predicted that was how the race would end. Where did that car come from?

He left the track and slowly made his way toward Mack. Before he reached his friend, he turned to see Storm emerge from his modern-looking trailer. Storm barely glanced at Lightning as he revved his powerful engine and continued driving. Bobby and Brick approached Lightning, and they watched the reporters swarm Storm.

"Hey, Bobby? Who is that?" asked Lightning.

"That's, um ... Jackson Storm," answered Bobby.

"Yeah, one of the rookies," added Cal.

Reporters bombarded Storm with compliments and questions. "That was incredible!" "Awesome!" "Give me a few words!" they shouted. "Can we get a picture here?"

"Thank you, guys," said Storm, expressionless. "Thank you. No. I appreciate it. Thank you very much. Thank you."

Storm rolled past Lightning and came to a stop where his crew chief and pitties were waiting for him. Lightning approached with a friendly smile. "Hey—Jackson Storm, right?" he said. "Great race today."

Storm turned to Lightning and looked at him with a cold, competitive glare. Then he spoke in a voice that sounded like a starstruck fan. "Wow! Thank you, Lightning McQueen. You have no idea what a pleasure it is for me to finally beat you."

"Oh, thanks!" said Lightning. Storm turned away, and Lightning's face fell as he realized what Storm had just said. "Wait. Hang on... . Did you say 'meet' or 'beat'?"

Storm inched closer to Lightning. "I think you heard me."

"Uh, what?" said Lightning, shocked by Storm's attitude.

Some photographers rushed over, ready to snap a photo. "Lightning! Storm! Over here! Can we get some pictures?"

"Yeah, yeah, come on," said Storm, smiling big. "Let's get a picture! You know what? Get a ton of pictures! Because champ here has been a role model of mine for years now! And I mean a lot of years! Right? I love this guy!"

The reporters and photographers continued to shout and compete for Storm's attention. After taking a few shots, Storm rolled toward his trailer. "I think I touched a nerve," he mumbled as he passed his crew chief. He backed into his trailer, and music began to blare as the door closed. The truck pulled away, and Lightning found himself alone, stunned and speechless.