[CARS 3 SPOILERS] [CARS 3 SPOILERS] [CARS 3 SPOILERS]
Wow! So many new followers, and I welcome you with an open mind. And to remind, I also fully welcome constructive criticism. So anyway, I'm currently digging into my brain trying to remember bits of Cars 3 to use in my story, but I'm still going to keep it my own! Since the beginning of the movie went by super fast, I'm going to focus a lot on the in between parts.
And for those of you who follow my DeviantArt, I just finished my drawing for you guys!
(Guest) CarsGeek24: I was actually planning on giving Jackson all or most of his own chapter. Great minds think alike I guess. But the whole "Monty" thing, believe it or not, in a book called Cars Origins: Struck by Lightning, it states that his real name is Monty! And thanks for your kindness.
(Guest #1): I was going to put newer NASCAR racers such as Ryan Blaney and Chase Elliot and I'll include retired racers such as Jeff Gordon and soon to be Dale Earnheart Jr. (He retires this year when the season's done.)
PlatoOfAncientRoam34: Thanks!
Cristalstarmochi: Cruz has become one of my favorite characters also :)
Gummybear1178: You won't be disappointed!
(Guest) Sam Fraser: Don't worry one bit! I am totally gonna make this my own.
ninjachief547: I'm glad that you liked it! And my favorite scenes were probably the scene with Primer McQueen and where Lightning lets Cruz race.
Everything was on repeat. The vicious cycle that started at the beginning of the season, refusing to die down now. Jackson Storm had not lost a single race and if someone didn't beat him soon, the Piston Cup would be as good as his. He was way ahead of the pack when it came to points with Lightning over twenty points behind Storm and in second place. No one had ever seen a car win that many times in a row.
"Man, four in a row!"
"Not slowing down at five!"
"Lucky number seven!" Those words from Darrel would forever echo in the minds of the stock cars. Their lives seemed to be flipped upside down and no one could stop it. Another race, another loss, Lightning was beginning to be rather frustrated with this new routine and the results of it. He had never had this many consecutive losses and the press was quickly catching on. Lightning excited pit lane to find Dusty being swarmed with reporters.
"How will you get McQueen back on top?"
"Is McQueen retiring anytime soon?"
"What are your new training methods to help McQueen?" Lightning pushed through the reporters and kept them away from Dusty.
"Guys listen!" Lightning shouted to them sending a hush through the crowd. "This is just a minor setback, don't worry we'll get Storm next time. Please no more questions." Lightning was about to turn away before the press continued to question him.
"What are your thoughts about Storm's winning streak?"
"I have no comment on that." Lightning turned his back to the press preparing to drive off. The press didn't seem to care that Lightning didn't want to talk just then.
"Not even about Cal Weather's early retirement?" A female reporter asked. Lightning stopped in his tracks.
"Wait what?" His eyes grew wide in shock.
"Yea," Another reporter started, "Cal just announced his retirement. So do you have anything to say on that?"
"I…..No comment on that either." Lightning looked down at the ground in thought before leaving to Cal's trailer. Why was the kid retiring so early? This is only like his second or third season! What's gotten into him?! Lightning quickly drove over to Cal just as he was backing into his trailer.
"Hey Cal! What are you doing! What's this I hear about your retirement?!"
"Oh, uh hey Lightnin'..." Cal trailed off with a hint of sadness. "I uh...yea. I am retiring, b-but I didn't want to! That's the thing!" Lightning stared at his friend in confusion. If he wanted to stay so badly, then why was he just giving up and ending so early in his career?
"Cal, I don't understand. Why so early?! You're practically still a rookie, you're the youngest one out here besides Jackson and a few others." Lightning saw Cal's eyes become slightly teary as he spoke.
"You know I asked my uncle once…..I asked him when it would be time for me to retire." Cal paused a moment to take one last look around pit lane. "He said you'll know when the newbies tag ya. At first I didn't know what he meant, but at least now I know." Cal scoffed slightly before continuing, "After all, Tex always said I was the worst racer, guess he was right." He laughed before backing up further into his trailer. "Ya know, I'm gonna miss you. But I guess leaving….is for the better." Cal ended with a slight sniffle as he closed his trailer before Lightning could have a chance to talk back.
"No...Cal. Don't go." But it was too late, Cal was gone. Along with all the good memories of his short time being here. Cal to Lightning was like that one friend who was the innocent child who needed protecting, but now he was gone. Lightning stared back at the trailer as it was leaving. His gut telling him to go after him but his brain telling him that it's over for Cal, he made his decision and that's final.
Once again Lightning found himself watching Chick's Picks in his trailer as he drove home. He dozed off and lost some interest in hearing Chick over, and over, and over again. He would tune some sections out as he read a book on his tablet. The only parts he really paid attention to were when Natalie was talking about the Next Gens or other racing statistics.
"That's right Chick," Natalie started talking through the TV. "Racers left and right are either retiring, like Cal Weather's tonight, or are being fired to make room for the Next Generation." Lightning looked up at the screen to see dozens of the stock cars images being flipped to reveal their newer counterparts. His eyes flicked back and forth between the flipping images until there were just seven stock cars left. Him, Brick, Bobby and a few others. Ugh what is happening?! I just don't understand why are they all getting fired and quitting just like that! Even in 2005, they waited till the season ended to make major changes! This just doesn't make sense! It feels like everyone is just disappearing almost without a trace and no one is even caring how the racers feel about it. Even though he refused to admit it to himself, Lightning felt rather depressed about the whole situation. He felt like his whole career was going to fall apart if he didn't get back up to par soon. Out of this season his best finishing score was only fifth place and even then it wasn't good enough for the reputation he created for himself all those years ago when he was at the top of his game. Lightning clicked off the TV and sat in silence while his eyes wondered around his trailer.. The pictures of Doc that hung on his trailer wall almost made his body go numb. Man how he wished Doc was with him, that grumpy old racecar that was basically a father to him. Doc would probably have known what to do, he would have given a 30 minute lecture on how he's thinking about this all wrong. Lightning's eyes followed the wall littered with pictures in chronicle order dating all the way back to 2007. The two pictures that probably stood out the most to him were his wedding day from 2014, and a picture of him smiling like a lunatic with his first Piston Cup in 2007. He was gripping it with his right tire while Doc looked down at him ready to laugh at the sight from above on his crew chief's podium.
Lightning sighed with a small smile. Sometimes he really wish he could turn back the clock. Back to the days where he was still the young, pretty much clueless hotshot with the grumpy old dad joking and pushing him around. He wasn't that old, but he was getting close to middle age with his thirty-first birthday right around the corner. Lightning shook his hood with realization. Wait a second, I'm only thirty. A lot of these guys don't retire until they're like almost forty! Why is everyone saying I'm getting old then! Chick didn't retire until he was thirty-eight and Strip didn't retire until he was forty-four so why should I have to retire so early?! Does the press even use basic logic anymore? I have all the right to be out here racing. Lightning wondered if this had to do with the Next Gens. They are in fact almost twenty miles per hour faster than the stock cars, that's the biggest speed gap there has ever been in racing history. For Pete's sake in the late 1980's the racers for a short period of time were forced to have speed limiters installed because of one wreck that killed so many innocent cars. But even then there was only about a five to ten mph difference when it came to speed. You know what, maybe Sally was right. First thing tomorrow I'm going to go call Strip and talk with him. Maybe he can help me….I hope.
Meanwhile Jackson Storm was currently in a hotel sprawled out on the middle of the bed on his phone. He would have preferred not to stop and continue driving but Gale seemed really exhausted so she pulled over at an inn. Now Jackson was somewhere in the middle of North Carolina on his way to New York state in the morning. Eventually he got bored of his phone and turned on the TV. It was one of those celebrity life story shows that were for the most part extremely boring. This one however was about Lightning McQueen's career. Eh, why not. It's not like there's anything else to do. Jackson hated to admit it but he actually did look up to McQueen a lot. Especially when he was just barely ten and it was McQueen's second season. As Jackson continued watching, he did something he never thought he would do in his lifetime, he took racing notes on McQueen. It was McQueen's whole career squished into a sixty minute time span. Out of habit, Jackson read the clock '23:36' for some reason Jackson felt the need to check to see if time was still moving. He felt like he was stuck in an endless loop or a movie on repeat. Racing was one of the few things that made him feel like he could escape that loop. Jackson lost his sense of time during his early teen years, nothing seemed to matter then. Care for no one, expect nothing in return, then make something happen. It was how he was taught to live and Jackson was pretty sure he would die like that too. He continued to take notes as he watched the rest of the documentary. As the show proceeded, Jackson realized just how much McQueen relied on the townies. Must be a hillbilly family thing…. Man Jackson wished he had someone other than Gale that he could count on even if it meant having to count on a bunch of hillbillies. Someone that he could look up to without being total jerk at the very least.
By 1:00 AM, Jackson was out cold with the TV still on. His notepad and pen had fallen off the bed while the covers were half way off the mattress. It quickly became a restless night for Jackson. A cycle of being asleep, awake, asleep, awake. Never staying asleep and never staying awake. It was like this almost every night, he was lucky if he got seven hours of sleep. But that was how he lived, Jackson had gotten used to years of feeling like an empty shell slowly wearing away at the last bit of emotion he had left. However one thing Jackson didn't understand, was he had everything but it felt like he had nothing. His family somewhat supported him, he had all the technology and devices that one could only dream of. He was talented in almost everything he did and rarely failed. But for a reason Jackson couldn't place, he felt lonely. Jackson learned to channel the feeling into results which led him to racing. Jackson stared at the ceiling for around half an hour hoping that he would fall asleep for the rest of the night. At last he was able to continue his restless sleep until the break of dawn set him out on his journey again.
Woo! I finished and this chapter had a little more Jackson Storm info. I actually picture Jackson as an easily irritated, short tempered type of person who worries about everything. Which I think is why he's so focused all the time, if he doesn't win or do that great at what he does, he becomes insecure. Anyway, thanks for reading!