The Piston Cup Racing Series (renamed the Hudson Hornet Piston Cup in 2010) is an American auto racing series championship of stock cars. From 2016 to the present day, high-tech Next-Gen racers started dominating the circuit.

It started in the late 1940's with dirt track circuits and, from 1960's to the present day, consists of asphalt racing.

History

Late 1940s seasons

The Piston Cup was founded in the late 1940's, and races were originally held on the dirt tracks. No racers are known from this era.

1951-1954 seasons

In the 1950s seasons, the cars were production vehicles with no modifications allowed. The term stock car implied that the vehicles racing were unmodified street cars. In 1951, Hudson Hornet started racing and won in 1951, 1952 and 1953 season. He achieved thirteen victories in 1951, twenty-seven victories in 1952, and twenty-two victories in 1953 and sixteen victories in 1954.^[1] In one of those seasons, Louise Nash started racing, being the first and only one woman to race in the time of the 1950s. She won three races in a row in her first season against Hudson Hornet. Because of discrimination, she had to steal the racing number #94 in order to get a chance to race. But Louise's fearless driving style soon won her the respect of every car she raced. In a race in one of those seasons on the Thomasville Speedway, Hornet was pushed against the wall by Leroy Heming. But with quick thinking, Hudson performed a flip maneuver over him and crossed the finish line.

In 1954, on a race on Fireball Beach Course, the Hudson Hornet lost control while power sliding and rolled several times, receiving serious damage, and after that, he was hospitalized. His injuries rendered him unable to compete for the rest of the season. Hudson Hornet made a healthy recovery; however, he was forced to retire.

1955-1970's seasons

In the 1960s, dirt tracks became asphalt tracks. Mario Andretti debuted in 1967, The King debuted in 1970, Darrell Cartrip debuted in 1977, and Chick Hicks with Dale Earnhardt & Ernie Gearson debuted in the late 1970's. In 1970s Kraig Shiftright won 2 Piston Cups.

1980s-2000s seasons

In the 1980's, debuted drivers as Claude Scruggs debuted in the early 1980s, Murray Clutchburn and James Cleanair in 1985. Eugene Carbureski and Crusty Rotor also debuted in that time. Darrell Cartrip won some Piston Cups around the 1980s. The 1990s rookies were Haul Inngas, Billy Oilchanger, Brush Curber and Johnny Blamer. Klint Shiftright won 3 Piston Cups, Haul Inngas won once in that era after a tragedy struck where he accidentally drove on the wrong side of the road coming home from the bowling alley. The King won 7 Piston Cups between 1970s and 2000s.

2005 season

The 2005 season saw seven-time Piston Cup champion The King, constant runner-up Chick Hicks, and popular new rookie Lightning McQueen, who's first win came at Glen Ellen (after replacing Racer #01, whose tire had blown as shown in the comics) & Racer 67 (as shown in the World of Cars book), as the leading competitors. The final race of the season, called the Dinoco 400, was held at the Motor Speedway of the South. The three leading racers all had a score of 5013 points, meaning whichever of the three placed first would take home the Piston Cup and the coveted Dinoco sponsorship.

Towards the start of the race, a large incident was caused by Chick Hicks with the intention of separating himself from the gaining McQueen. The accident involved every racer except for Weathers, Hicks, and McQueen, as the latter skillfully managed to make his way through the crash without taking any damage. The other racers received damage, however, such as Chuck Armstrong, who was taken out of the race by a tow truck.

Subsequently, Lightning McQueen arrogantly refused pit stops, which allowed him to gain an entire lap advantage on the other racers, which continued into the final lap of the race. However, as McQueen rounded the final turn, his rear tires blew out, leaving him crawling to the finish line. The other racers caught up to him, and McQueen, Hicks, and Weathers all crossed the finish line at the same time, making it the first three-way tie in Piston Cup history. A tie-breaker race between the three was set to be held at the Los Angeles International Speedway.

However, during Lightning's journey there, he fell out of his trailer and ended up in the small town of Radiator Springs, where he accidentally ripped up the road and was sentenced to community service. Once Lightning served his time, he was taken to the race, where he found it difficult to concentrate due to missing the friends he made while there. However, Lightning was joyful when he discovered that Hudson and the other townspeople had come to serve as his pit crew.

Lightning, who had learned new abilities from his friends, utilized them during the race, which allowed him to hold up well against his two competitors, eventually taking the lead. Hicks, frustrated with constantly placing behind Weathers, performed a pit maneuver on him, causing the seven-time champion to spin out of control and take heavy damage. McQueen, noticing similarities between Weathers' and Hudson's accidents, stopped just before the finish line and reversed up to Weathers, and helped him to the finish line, believing the old-timer should finish his last race. Despite being the victor, Hicks was booed for his actions, while McQueen was congratulated for his good sportsmanship. Also in 2005, Brush Curber had numerous top ten finishes.

2006-2015 seasons

Lightning McQueen won his first Piston Cup in 2006, then he won two more Piston Cups between 2007 and 2009. Cal Weathers debuted in 2006 & Brick Yardley debuted in 2007. After Doc Hudson's death in 2009, the Piston Cup was renamed Hudson Hornet Piston Cup as a tribute in 2010, McQueen captured his fourth Piston Cup and the veteran racer became a 4-time Piston Cup champion. Between 2011 and 2015, Lightning won another three Piston Cups, and he became a 7-time Piston Cup winner and also the oldest racer, since others retired between those years. Also, during the 2015 season, Brick Yardley won twice.

2016 season

In the 2016 season the Piston Cup logo received an update. At the Dinoco Light 350 in the Motor Speedway of the South, Lightning won the race. In the next race at Rocker Arms International, McQueen and Cal both went for first place at last lap with Cal being the winner. The Georgia Motor Speedway race was won by McQueen.

At the Dinoco 400 at Copper Canyon Speedway, McQueen was in the lead with Bobby second and Cal third, but suddenly all three were beaten by the rookie Jackson Storm, who was the one of several next-generation cars, they've had faster engines and aerodynamic bodies. Storm also won the next races at the Motor Speedway of the South, Grandol Oil Co. Raceway, BnL Raceway, and Rustbelt Raceway. After the last one, Cal Weathers retired from the sport by the tip of his uncle, many other veteran racers have left the sport too, the companies were firing them in favor of the new generation.

At the race at Los Angeles International Speedway, the grid consisted of mostly of high-tech rookies. After the race's start, McQueen started to overtake others and even catch Storm on last laps. When they both came into pit, McQueen's pit stop was faster than Storm's, and Lightning took the lead. Jackson quickly caught up with Lightning and took the lead after insulting McQueen for being too old. Following the Storm's words, McQueen start slowing down and was overtaken by Danny Swervez and Chase Racelott, losing two positions.

McQueen then tried to catch Storm and the others, but his right-rear tire blew out, his overworked engine failed, lost control, hit the wall, and was sent into a roll, getting serious injuries. The race was delayed, and Lightning was hospitalized, while Storm proceeded to win the race and become the 2016 Piston Cup champion.

2017 season

Four months later, McQueen was practicing and getting into shape to beat Storm at the Florida 500 on the Florida International Super Speedway alongside his personal trainer Cruz Ramirez, former Doc's crew chief Smokey and several Piston Cup veterans. Lightning missed all qualification sessions, and because of this, he would start dead last. At the race Smokey replaced Mater as the team's crew chief. After the race's start, McQueen quickly began overtaking others and made steady progress through the ranks.

In the middle of the race, the new owner of Rust-eze, Sterling, said to Cruz that she should train racers instead of watching the race. Lightning heard that on the team radio and remembered that Cruz dreamed to be a racer. McQueen forgot about the race and did not notice a big accident in front of him. After that he got out of it and continued the race.

When all racers were called back to the pits, McQueen rejected the pit stop and said that Cruz Ramirez should come back. He asked Guido to change her tires, Fillmore to refuel and Ramone to repaint her. After that, he had a surprised Cruz take his place. Smokey decided that Lightning should become her crew chief and gave him the headset. Using tactics she learned while practicing with Lightning, Ramirez was able to overcome other racers and even caught up with Jackson Storm. He attempted to distract her from winning, same as with Lightning and when she also began to slow down same as him, Lightning cheered her up, so she caught Storm again. Being angry, he pushed her against the wall when she tried to pass him, but Cruz performed a flip over Storm, as Doc Hudson had done in the 1950s, and won the race.

Officially, Cruz won the race with McQueen, because they both used number 95. After the race, Tex Dinoco asked her to join his team, that was sill seeking the new driver after Cal's retirement and bought Rust-eze. McQueen decided to pull out from racing to mentor her, getting a new paint job, designed in honor of Hudson Hornet, while Ramirez, also the next generation racer from now, chose number 51, also paying him tribute. With McQueen as the mentor, Cruz continued to win races for the rest of the season.

NASCAR (Die-Cast Line)

For the NASCAR Die-Cast Line, Fiber Fuel, Retread, Sidewall Shine, Shifty Drug and HTB all returned to the Piston Cup. GoGo Logano, Aric Almirolling, Carstin "Ace" Dillon, William Byrev and Rowdy Revvin' Busch being rookies for those teams respectively. Chase Racelott, Danny Swervez, Ryan "Inside" Laney and Bubba Wheelhouse were also all given new numbers.

Races

The Piston Cup races are big events sponsored by lots of trademarks and covered by the Racing Sports Network (RSN), which creates live televised broadcasts, in addition to providing other media coverage. Modern races take place at huge racing stadiums, which traditionally have oval-shaped tracks, although the shape may slightly vary from track to track, such as at the Los Angeles International Speedway.

A Piston Cup championship consists of various races where the competitors earn points in relation to their placement in the final rankings of the event. At the end of the season, the car with the most points wins the championship and receives a Piston Cup trophy.

Races can vary from seven to 500 laps. Each competitor has a team of pitties, a crew chief and a hauler, which are sponsored, and may help the racer by giving advice via headsets, and by providing fuel and tire changes during pit stops.

Speedways

Speedways in movies

Image	Logo	Name	Description	Location
		Alabama Speedway	A standard race track.	Alabama
		BnL Raceway	A standard race track.	Unknown
		Copper Canyon Speedway	A standard race track.	Arizona
		DataShift Raceway	A standard race track.	Unknown
		Fireball Beach Course	A dirt track.	Fireball Beach
		Florida International Super Speedway	A standard race track.	Florida
		Georgia Super Speedway	A standard track.	Georgia
		Glen Ellen	A standard race track.	Unknown
		Grandol Oil Co. Raceway	A standard race track	Unknown
		Heartland Motor Speedway	A standard race track.	Unknown
		Los Angeles International Speedway	A standard race track	Los Angeles
		Motor Speedway of the South	A standard race track	Motor City
		Rocker Arms International	A standard race track	Unknown
		Rustbelt Raceway	A standard race track	Unknown
		Thomasville Speedway	A dirt track	Thomasville
		Virginia Speedway	A standard race track	Virginia

Repurposed speedways

Image

Logo

Name

Description

Location

First appearance

Notes

Radiator Springs Speedway

A standard race track

Radiator Springs

Cars 2005 Teaser Trailer

Speedways in other media

Image	Logo	Name	Description	Location	First appearance	Notes
		Backfire Canyon Speedway	A standard race track		The World of Cars Online
		Beachside Speedway	A standard race track	Beachside	The Rookie	events: Beachside 500
		Big Heartland Speedway	A standard race track		The World of Cars Online
		Palm Mile Speedway	A standard race track	Palm Mile	Cars: The Videogame
		Petroleum City Super Speedway	A standard race track	Petroleum City	The World of Cars Online
		Smasherville Speedway	A standard race track	Smasherville	Cars: The Videogame
		Sun Valley International Raceway	A standard race track	Sun Valley	Cars: The Videogame
		Treadwell Motor Speedway	An standard race track	Treadwell	Mater Private Eye
		Tailgator Speedway	A standard race track		The World of Cars Online
		Bowling Lake	A standard race track		The Rookie

List of racers

Former

Number	Image	Name	Primary Sponsor	Piston Cup career	Championships	Note
?		Slide Powers	?	Late 40s -?
?		Buck Schooner	?	Before 2005-?
?		Kurt Shiftright	?	1950s-?
?		Kraig Shiftright	?	1970s-?	Late 70s
?		Klint Shiftright	?	1980s-?	Early 90s
?		Darrel Draggered	?	?
?		Unknown	1950s-?	?
00		Jimmy Cables	Intersection	?-2016
		3		Unknown (non-existent)				This number is only used for the pylon, to amount the number of racers supposedly competing; in reality, this car doesn't exist
3		Caleb Worley	All Good Auto Parts	1950s-?
3 (Numbers used in real life during lifetime, until he died of serious injuries in a serious car accident in 2001.)		Dale Earnhardt	Dale Earnhardt Inc.	1970s-2001	Between the 1970s-2000	Deceased, mention in Cars comics but not seen
4		Rusty Cornfuel	Tow Cap	Before the 2000s-?
4		Jack DePost	Tow Cap	?-2016
5		Lane Locke	SynerG	?-2016
6		Unknown	?	1950s-?		This number was mentioned by an announcer only and not seen in Cars 3.
6		Markus Krankzler	Transberry Juice	?-2016
7		Joe Don Jackson	Po'Tater's Garage & Gas	1950s-?
8		Levi Mitchan	Kirby Farm Implement & Supply Co.	1950s-?
8		Dale Earnhardt Jr.	Dale Earnhardt Inc.	2000-?
9		"Slim" Hood	Sludge Cola	1950s-?
9		Unknown (non-existent)				This number is only used for the pylon, to amount the number of cars supposedly competing; in reality, this car doesn't exist
11		Junior Moon		1950s-?
11		Mario Andretti		1967-?
11		Chip Gearings	Combustr	?-2016
12		Les Go Attaway	Fireball Beach Fire Department	1950s-?
15		Carl Clutchen	Easy Idle	?-2016
17		Jet Robinson	Southern Gold Gasoline	1950s-?
17		Darrell Cartrip	DWstore.com	1977-2000
19		Bobby Swift	Octane Gain	?-2016
21		Speedy Comet	Blinkr	?-2016
24		Brick Yardley	Vitoline	2007-2016
26		Jimmy Lugwrench	Arrow Trucking & Shipping	1950s-?
28		Aiken Axler	Nitroade	2003-?
28 (26 in diecast)		Eli Turnpike	Fits Right Brake Pads	1950s-?		In the movie he has the number 28 but, his diecast says 26.
28		Phil Tankson	Nitroade	?-2016
29		Buford Camshaft	Smokehouse Packaging Goods	1950s-?
31		Rusty Manifold	Gasprin	1950s-?
31		Terry Kargas	Triple Dent	?-2016
33		Chuck Armstrong	Mood Springs	Before 2005-?
33		Dud Throttleman	Mood Springs	?-2016
34		River Scott		1950s-?
34		Dirkson D'Agostino	Trunk Fresh	Before the 2000s-2016
35		Kevin Racingtire	Shifty Drug	Before the 2000s-?
36		Eugene Carbureski	Tank Coat	Before the 2000s-?
36		Reb Meeker	Tank Coat	?-2017
39		Ryan Shields	View Zeen	Before the 2000s-?
39		Buck Bearingly	View Zeen	?-2017
4A		Floyd Morgan	Jen's Diner	1950s-?
41		Clovis Rider	Juanita's Car-B-Q	1950s-?
42		Ducky Fauntleroy	Blowie Belsoms Safety Horns	1950s-?
42		Cal Weathers	Dinoco	2006-2016
43		The King	Dinoco	1970-2005	Between the 1970s-2004
48		T.G. Castlenut	Re-Volting	?-2016
51		Hudson Hornet		1951-1954	1951, 1952, 1953
51		Ruby Oaks	Easy Idle	Before the 2000s-?
52		Claude Scruggs	Leak Less	1980s-?
52		Brian Spark	Leak Less	?-2017
54		Johnny Blamer	Faux Wheel Drive	1995-?
54		Tommy Highbanks	Faux Wheel Drive	?-2016
56		Brush Curber	Fiber Fuel	Before the 2000s-?
58		Racer 58	All Right Automotive Parts	1950s-?
58		Billy Oilchanger	Octane Gain	Before the 2000s-?
61		James Cleanair	Vitoline	1985-2006
63		Lee Revkins	Transberry Juice	Before the 2000s-?
64		Dewey Conerod	Conerod Auto & Car Club	1950s-?
64		Winford Bradford Rutherford	RPM	Before the 2000s-?
64		Bruce Miller	RPM	?-2016
67		Bobby Roadtesta	Carbon Cyber	?-2016
68		Manny Flywheel	N2O Cola	Before the 2000s-?
68		Parker Brakeston	N20 Cola	?-2016
70		Duke Coulters	Duke Coulters' Hoodache Powder	1950s-?
70		Floyd Mulvihill	Gasprin	2005-2016
73		Misti Motorkrass	Rev-N-Go	Before the 2000s-?
73		Rev-N-Go Racer	Rev-N-Go	?-2017
74		Slider Petrolski	Sidewall Shine	Before the 2000s-?
76		Crusty Rotor	Vinyl Toupee	Before the 2000s-?
76		Rev Roadages	Vinyl Toupee	?-2017
79		Haul Inngas	Retread	1990-?	1990s (Not specified when)
80		Sage VanDerSpin	Gask-its	2004-?
80		Rex Revler	Gask-Its	?-2016
82		"Trick" Guzzler	Lucky's Bar & Grill	1950s-?
82		Darren Leadfoot	Shiny Wax	Before the 2000s-2017
84		Davey Apex	Re-Volting	Before the 2000s-?
84		Mac iCar	Apple, Inc.	Before the 2000s-?
84		Apple Racer	Apple, Inc.	?-2016
86		Chick Hicks	Hostile Takeover Bank	1979-?	2005
90		Rusty Dipstick	Frostal Air Filters	1950s-?
90		Ponchy Wipeout	Bumper Save	Before the 2000s-2017
91		Randy Lawson	Sputter Stop	1950s-?
92		Murray Clutchburn	Sputter Stop	1985-2017
93		Ernie Gearson	Spare Mint	Before the 2000s-2016
94		Louise Nash		1950s-?
95		Lightning McQueen	Rust-eze	2005–present (unconfirmed retirement stats)	2006, between 2007-2009, 2010, between 2011-2015
101		Greg Candyman	Tach-O-Mint	Before the 2000s-?
113		Unknown (non-existent)	?			This number is only used for the pylon, to amount the number of racers supposedly competing; in reality, this car doesn't exist
117		Ralph Carlow	Lil' Torquey Pistons	Before the 2000s-17
121		Kevin Shiftright	Clutch Aid	Early 2000s-?
121		Dino Draftsky	Clutch Aid	?-2017
123		Todd Marcus	No Stall	Early 2000s-2016
300		Leroy Heming	Re-Volting	1950s-?

Current

Number	Image	Name	Primary Sponsor	Piston Cup career	Championships
00		Flip Dover	Intersection	2016–present
3		Carstin "Ace" Dillon	Sidewall Shine	2021–Present
4		J.D. McPillar	Tow Cap	2016–present
5		Eric Braker	SynerG	2016–present
6 (formerly), 23		Bubba Wheelhouse	Transberry Juice	2016–present
10		Aric Almirolling	Retread	2021–Present
11		Chris Roamin'	Combustr	2016–present
15		Harvey Rodcap	Easy Idle	2016–present
18		Rowdy Revvin' Busch	Hostile Takeover Bank	2022–Present
19 (formerly), 99		Danny Swervez	Octane Gain	2016–present
20		Jackson Storm	IGNTR	2016–present	2016
21 (formerly), 12		Ryan "Inside" Laney	Blinkr	2016–present
22		GoGo Logano	Fiber Fuel	2021–Present
24 (formerly), 9		Chase Racelott	Vitoline	2016–present
24		William Byrev	Shifty Drug	2021–Present
28		Tim Treadless	Nitroade	2016–present
31		Cam Spinner	Triple Dent	2016–present
33		Ed Truncan	Mood Springs	2016–present
34		Steve "Slick" LaPage	Trunk Fresh	2016–present
36		Rich Mixon	Tank Coat	2017–present
39		Michael Rotor	View Zeen	2017–present
48		Aaron Clocker	Re-Volting	2016–present
51 (formerly 95)		Cruz Ramirez	Rust-eze (former) Dinoco	2017–present	2017
52		George New-Win	Leak Less	2017–present
54		Herb Curbler	Faux Wheel Drive	2016–present
64		Barry DePedal	RPM	2016–present
67		Jim Reverick	Carbon Cyber	2016–present
68		H.J. Hollis	N2O Cola	2016–present
70		Richie Gunzit	Gasprin	2016–present
73		M Fast Fong	Rev-N-Go	2017–present
76		Will Rusch	Vinyl Toupee	2017–present
80		Dan Carcia	Gask-its	2016–present
82		Conrad Camber	Shiny Wax	2017–present
84		J.P. Drive	Apple, Inc.	2016–present
90		Paul Conrev	Bumper Save	2017–present
92		Sheldon Shifter	Sputter Stop	2017–present
93		Nick Shift	Spare Mint	2016–present
117		Spikey Fillups	Lil' Torquey Pistons	2017–present
121		Noah Gocek	Clutch Aid	2017–present
123		Jonas Carvers	No Stall	2016–present

List of champions

• Lightning McQueen: 7 times (2006 according to Cars: The Videogame, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2015 according to Cars Land)
• Strip Weathers "The King": 7 times (between 1970s-2004)
• Doc Hudson: 3 times (1951-1953)
• Klint Shiftright: 3 times (1990s)
• Darrell Cartrip: 2 times (between 1977 and 2000)
• Kraig Shiftright: 2 times (1970s)
• Chick Hicks: 1 time (2005)
• Cruz Ramirez: 1 time (2017)
• Haul Inngas 1 time (1990s or 2000s)   
• Jackson Storm: 1 time (2016)
• Mario Andretti: 1 time (between 1967 and 2005)
• Sammy the Studebaker: 1 time (1954)

Non-canon histories

• In the Rally Race comics it shows that the Hudson Hornet's crash was caused by his rival, Sammy the Studebaker, who sideswiped him out, and Doc hit racer 57, somersaulted and landed on his wheels, while Sammy won that race and became a champion.
• In the comic The Rookie, it was mentioned that Lightning McQueen's first race was on Beachside Speedway and he replaces Racer 01 or Racer 67 after his crash.

• In the book Race Around the World, it was shown that the 2010 season's second place winner was Claude Scruggs and third place was Misti Motorkrass.
• In the DS version of Cars 2: The Video Game McQueen was competing in "Hudson Hornet Memorial Cup" alongside three unnamed racers, looking similar to him. Lightning won the championship.
• According to some comics Lightning McQueen was originally sponsored by Smell Swell and started racing in 2004, while in some other comics they say that McQueen's first race in the 2005 season was in the Bowling Lake.

Trivia

• The Piston Cup is based on the real-world NASCAR Cup series, known as the Winston Cup series from 1971 to 2003. In 2004, however, NASCAR severed relations with Winston and the award became the Nextel Cup, quickly changing to the Sprint Cup after Sprint bought out Nextel. Incidentally, the Hudson Hornet competed in the Grand National era of 1950 to 1970. Title sponsorship with Sprint ended after 2016, merging with Monster Energy to create a new title, the "Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series", starting in 2017. Before 1950, in 1949 there was "Strictly stock".
• In real-life, contemporary NASCAR vehicles would not be able to compete against vehicles of the Grand National era. This is because modern NASCAR vehicles are spec, racing-built sedans with sophisticated racing technology whereas Grand National era cars are modified production cars. Today's NASCAR sedans would greatly outperform the stock cars of the Grand National era. Also, NASCAR safety technology has dramatically evolved since the Grand National era and thus drivers of such vehicles would be at a greater safety risk than those driving today's NASCAR sedans.

Logos

Names in other languages

• Danish: Stempel Cup’en
• Estonian: Kolvi karikas
• French: Coupe Piston
• Hungarian: Szelep kupa
• Latvian: Virzuļa kauss
• Lithuanian: Didžioji Taurė
• Norwegian: Stempelkopp
• Polish: Złoty Tłok
• Portuguese: Copa Pistão
• Russian: Кубок Поршня Гоночный Чемпионат (transcription: Kubok Porshnya Gonochnyy Chempionat)
• Spanish: Copa Pistón
• Swedish: Pistong-Cupen
• Turkish: Piston Kupası

See also

• List of racers
• List of Next-Gen racers

References