Lightning knew the faults of being a celebrity. He was often on the recieving end of a constant stream of rotten words and harsh judgement by people who had never even met him. Looking back to previous interviews and words that had come out of his own ignorant mouth he wouldn't be suprised if he was hated back then, but he really had changed!
of course, since his stay at radiator springs and his change of heart he had been shown in a better light, and some had even come to admitting that he was a better person after his disappearance. He had done that little stunt with giving up the cup to help the King, which had painted him as the golden boy of racing for a while, but nothing gold can stay, right? Soon enough whisper went about saying it was all a publicity stunt, and that the entire thing was scripted. first of all, do they even know how racing works? A crash that bad wouldn't be attempted as a damn publicity stunt. It infuriated him that people could possibly think that the King agreed to be flipped dangerously while his wife was expecting him home for retirement the next day!
And after the stress enducing World Grand Prix it traveled like wildfire that Lightning McQueen and his buddy Mater tried to blow up the Queen of england, which did not gloss over well with the media. To be honest, i think i'm gonna have gray hairs from all of this stress and trauma this has caused. I'm still thankful to Sarge and Fillimore for switching out the fuel, they saved me and my car. I am happy for Mater, he's dating a fine young woman, and i'm sure they'll be together a while. (not to mention shes a spy, along with Fimm McMissile.)
But i guess it doesn't really compute that having fans that love you is just as dangerous as having fans that hate you. That never really enters your mind, huh? That someone who watches your every race and adores you could possibly think of causing you harm?
I didn't either.
Not until i was starring down the barrel of a gun.