Not many animated athletes manage to reach icon status, but it seems safe to say that Lightning McQueen has managed just that.
The character first debuted in 2006’s Cars, a flick that soon spawned a franchise. A franchise that entirely follows anthropomorphized vehicles, which all by itself is a tall task. Add to that the long delay between each of its releases — five years between the first and second, and six between second and third — and the way its branching offerings compounded in the time between flicks, and the franchise’s prominence is all the more surprising.
Its’ yet to reach the heights of, say, Shrek, but the Cars franchise is mega popular for a trilogy that concluded more than six years ago. Its got a star-studded cast, perpetual fanbase, and an absolute tidal wave of video game add-ons. Video game adaptations of the Cars world outnumber its movie releases by a ratio of three to one, which really demonstrates the staying power of the Cars brand, particularly among kids.
At the head of the Cars hype is the franchise’s titular character, Lightning McQueen. The sleek racer, played by Owen Wilson, is a staple of every Cars movie, and — more than a decade and a half after he first debuted — fans somehow still have questions about him. He enjoyed a successful career across the series of Cars films, even taking home several of those coveted Piston Cups.
How many Piston Cups has Lightning McQueen won?
Over the course of his racing career, Lightning McQueen has enjoyed a massive number of wins. In total, he’s enjoyed more than 90 career wins over his time on the race track, including more than half a dozen Piston Cup victories.
McQueen has taken home seven Piston Cups over the course of his racing career, the first of which came about in 2006. He also secured a victory in the 2007 Piston Cup, but lost in 2008. He re-secured his position as victor the next year, in 2009, and brought home his third Piston Cup.
The next four were won in 2010, 2012, 2013, and 2015. He saw several close calls in the years in between, but even the best (and most fictional) athletes have their off years.