A quick story about the Mood Springs racer from the first movie, set just before the opening race of Cars. Requested on tumblr.

Chuck Armstrong was alright with not being a big name in racing.

He was more well known as the racer for Mood Springs; other cars were more likely to remember his number than his name, and he was okay with that. He would have been okay not racing- he had allergies to some kinds of fuel as it was, and racing certainly did not help that. Sure, he'd placed high up on the field a few times, even gotten one or two first place wins, but there weren't that many cars coming out to see Chuck Armstrong race, and that never bothered him.

The fans he did have were nice enough. Lots of racers had the experience with young cars whose eyes lit up at the sight of their heroes. Lots of racers had experience with cars who would paint themselves in the style of their favorites. Rarely had he seen anyone pronouncing their love for the Mood Springs Racing Team, and as with a lot of things, it didn't bother him. He had lots of shy fans, lots of fans who told him he could do better, and lots of fans who forgot his name was Chuck. This also didn't bother him.

He liked to travel, and that's what racing let him do. He liked that there was enough leeway time between races to stop and see the country. If there was an interesting landmark he hadn't seen, he could usually convince his hauler (Andy, one of the nicest trucks he'd ever met) to stop for a bit. He never was late to the qualifying races, never was late to a race, and that made for a good track record.

For the most part, he even avoided getting injured on the track. Considering he was usually in the middle of the field, there was no need to get in a crash. If his allergies started acting up- and they usually did at high speeds on the track, leading to his crew chief calling him Armsnot, which frankly made him laugh- then a lot of the cars around him just didn't want to pass him. It was more dangerous to pass a car who kept sneezing, especially on a track at high speeds.

No, Chuck was not one to really be bothered by losing or not doing so well on the track, which is why he didn't expect the Dinoco 400 to be too eventful. He very much figured that the King would win this year- Dinoco's racer had been the best for years.

Or maybe this year Hicks would win- poor guy must have been stuck in second for most of his career, and he actually tried. Chuck was more than happy to avoid him out on the track- there was no use getting unnecessary dents and bumps that would have to be fixed.

There was even the rookie to consider- Lightning Mc-something. Really, he couldn't remember the kid's name- the rookie was a pretty good racer, but not very nice. And Chuck made it a habit to stay away from cars with that much attitude, because he certainly didn't want to end up on the front of a tabloid, his name splashed up in huge font because someone picked a fight with him.

Either way, one of them would win the Piston Cup, and then he could go home for the off season. Back to his nice little garage on Ocracoke Island, where he could just relax for the next few months. Thinking of the beach made him happy- he missed it when he was on the track.

"Hey Chuck, it's almost time to start buddy." His crew chief- Frankie- got his attention easily.

"Sure thing, Frankie. Let's get this show on the road."

Chuck Armstrong never really made a lasting impression on race fans, but he was more than okay with that.