McQueen wakes up in the middle of the highway. A group of "street racers" (illegal lowriders) approach, and in a panic, McQueen veers off the main road. He tears across a muddy field, bounces over a dirt embankment, and takes out a fence. He finally crashes into the pavement of a forgotten highway—completely unconscious.

does not start in the quiet, dusty roads of Radiator Springs. It starts with thunder. Within the first ten seconds, we are plunged into the dielectric, high-octane world of the Piston Cup. The camera zooms past a packed stadium of anthropomorphic vehicles, all cheering for the final race of the season: The Dinoco 400.