Chapter 4

Later that night, the racing news programs continued to cover the next-gen racers and discuss the drastic changes that were happening to the sport of racing. On the set of Morning Piston Cup , Natalie Certain stood beside the giant screen. It was filled with a grid showing the forty Piston Cup racers at the start of the season. The squares featuring veteran racers were illuminated.

"More changes ahead, Chick," said Natalie. "Every week, we've seen veteran racers either retire, like Cal Weathers tonight, or be fired to make room for these younger, faster racers. And it's not over yet." As she continued, more and more squares went dark, signifying the departure of those cars from the racing circuit.

But Lightning refused to give up. And the race at the Los Angeles International Speedway seemed like the perfect place to get out of his slump and back on top.

The next morning, a team of jets streaked across the blue sky as excitement grew in the crowded stands. An announcer's voice boomed over the PA.

"Hello, racing fans," he said. "Welcome to the Los Angeles 500! Final race of the Piston Cup season! It's been a year of surprises, and today promises to be no different. While the teams get ready in the pits, we get ready to bring you the action here, trackside."

Lightning, on his way to Bobby's garage, stopped when he noticed Brick and his sponsor heading down the middle of the garage area. Two pitties carried big boxes with Brick's name scribbled across their sides. Lightning began to move toward Brick, but stopped short when he saw him talking urgently to his sponsor.

"You can't do this!" yelled Brick. "I've raced for you guys for almost ten years!"

"Sorry, Brick," said the sponsor. "My mind's made up. Time for me to move on to someone new."

"Hey! I ... I had two wins last year!" Brick cried.

"The whole sport's changing," said the sponsor. "I'm just doing what I gotta do."

Lightning saw a racer pulling out of Bobby's garage and went to him. "Hey, Bobby," he said. "Do you know what's happening with Brick?" But Lightning quickly realized that it wasn't Bobby in Bobby's garage. It was another racer. A new, next-gen racer.

"The name's Danny, bro," said the sleek race car as he headed past Lightning. Lightning looked around the garage area and couldn't believe his eyes: there were only next-gen racers all around. He didn't recognize any of them. What's going on? How can everything be changing so fast? he thought.

Lightning left the garage and took the pace lap. He found himself in the third row, next to Danny.

"Hey, champ," Storm called to Lightning from the front. "Where'd all your friends go?"

"A final check of his tires as Storm settles into the pole position," Bob Cutlass said over the PA.

Lightning tried to contain his anger while Storm scrubbed his tires and took his position on the pole.

The green flag flew—it was time to race—and Darrell Cartrip's voice came through the speakers. "Boogity, boogity, boogity! Let's end this season with a great race!"

Sally and the Radiator Springs gang watched nervously.

"That's it, buddy!" cheered Mater as Lightning leaned hard into a sprint.

The race went on into the night. Storm held the lead, with Lightning a few lengths behind. As Storm led the racers into the pits, Shannon Spokes reported from the sidelines: "Forty laps to go, and race leader Jackson Storm is making his way onto pit road with McQueen on his tail. A good stop here could mean the difference between victory and defeat."

Storm's swift, efficient pit crew immediately got to work.

At the same time, Guido worked on Lightning as quickly as he could. The racer was antsy.

"C'mon, c'mon, c'mon!" he said, panic in his voice. "Faster, Guido! C'mon, I gotta get back out there before he does! Guido, hurry up!"

Within seconds, Guido was finished."Fatto! Fatto!" he said, moving away. Lightning got back out before any of the other racers.

"What a pit stop by Lightning McQueen!" shouted Darrell Cartrip. "Man! He just got the lead!"

"But, Darrell—can he hold on to it?" asked Bob Cutlass.

Before long, Storm pulled alongside Lightning. "Hey, Lightning," he said. "You all right? Listen, don't you worry, pal. You had a good run. Enjoy your retirement." Then, effortlessly, he sped ahead.

"Storm takes back the lead!" said Bob Cutlass. "A length in front."

Furious, Lightning pushed himself forward, harder and harder, using everything he had to try to catch Storm.

"Unbelievable!" yelled Darrell Cartrip. "Lightning is fading! Lightning is fading! Fading fast!"

"No! No, no, no, no!" shouted Lightning, straining as he tried to get ahead. Now he was two lengths behind Storm. Lightning angrily pushed himself harder until ... one of his tires blew out! He started to spin! Whipping around and around, everything went blurry, and a deafening hush crowd.

In the stands, Sally gasped. She and the rest of the Radiator Springs gang held their breath as they helplessly watched Lightning's spin turn into a roll. The fans were completely silent as the entire stadium witnessed the worst crash of Lightning's career. With every flip, they could hear the terrible crunch of Lightning's body against the pavement.

He continued to roll and roll until, finally, he stopped, a low hiss of smoke rising from his engine. Then a flurry of activity surrounded him. An ambulance, a fire truck, and a tow truck rushed to his aid while the crowd watched, horrified ... hoping to see signs of life.