~*~*~FLASHBACK~*~*~

Braedey: "I was once just a plucky young racecar that came from Motorville, Illinois. I was the fastest one out of the whole town, and I gained a huge reputation for being the fastest, putting down fast lap times and whatnot. I could race for hours on end, and always come out on top. I competed in any type of race that came up in town, whether it was an off-road race, a street circuit, and even a start up program for the Piston Cup rookies."

Mary: "Wow. So, is that how you got into the Piston Cup?"

Braedey: "With my reputation being so big back at home, and managing to win a first place in a trials run at the Piston Cup rookies program, I soon received the stage name of 'The Bolt', due to how fast I was going around the track. Eventually, the race team by the name of 'Redliners' came up to me, and they asked me to be their driver to race for their sponsor. I couldn't help but say yes to them, and I was given the sponsor stickers of the racing team, and I got the number 95 on me."

Mary: "So, they gave you that number in the first place, before you came to Rust-Eze?"

Braedey: "I'll explain about that detail later. Anyways, I soon began to rack up the season points, rising slowly up to the top of the leaderboard. I won a couple of races at that time, and I felt like I could win my very first Piston Cup trophy, and eventually secure victory for me and my team, even to go further onward. It was all well and good for a time. But sadly... that all changed for me."

Mary: "What happened?"

Braedey: "The racing world had advanced on me. Before I could cross the finish line at Los Angeles on the final lap of one race, a newer racecar had taken the lead and stole the win from me without me even seeing or hearing him coming. I was shocked. I had never seen a car go so fast before, or sound so tough at all. I soon found out that these cars were part of the newer generation of Piston Cup Racers."

Mary: "What were they like?"

Braedey: "They are basically the same as that of the Piston Cup cars of the racing season today. At that time, I could only do just about 152 miles per hour, and that was considered fast back then. But now, these cars can do about 179, basically leaving me behind in the dust. They had better suspension and fuel consumption than me, and I had such a difficult time of keeping up with them, me struggling to keep up with them, feeling sluggish and hard to keep moving. Each time I lost a race, a newer car would take my place ever so easily, and the racers that I used to race with were either retiring or were replace by this new wave of newer cars. My team's manager told me that if I continue to lose more races in the soon upcoming seasons, he'll take me out of my position as racer, and get in someone better. I was more determined to show that the old generation still had a chance. But, that was a mistake that nearly costed my life."

Mary; "What happened?"

Braedey: "It all happened at one of the Dinoco races, with about 30 laps to go. It was me against all others. As the race comes to an end, I managed to get past the other next gens, but I was unable to obtain any higher than third or second place, or even get to the pole position. After the last pit stop, I managed to take the lead, but it didn't take long for the current champion to catch up and overtake me. After the racer said "Enjoy your retirement!" to me, I felt like he was telling the truth; 1 wasn't gonna win. When two other racers go by me, I said "No! I won't lose! Not today!" I began to rev harder, push my tyres to the limit, my engine to its maximum, my suspension and everything to the very edge. But, by then, it was then too late. My fate had been sealed. My right rear tyre blew out, stunning me in shock, and I slid across the track out of control before I ran into the wall, slamming against it, then spun about, making me fly up into the air, unable to control it. Everything slowed down around me, as I flew through the air, tumbling about, my spoiler ripping off of me, me engine overheated due to the excessive rewing, and my chassis and body burning in pain. I slammed against the track, tumbling about again, then started to slide on my side, my body screaming out in pain, but I couldn't say anything. My head was spinning about, not sure which way was up. My paint was scraping away due to my body being dragged along the track, then finally, I began to roll 10 times down the back straight, and finally came to a stop, sitting the right-way-up. I heard the fire trucks and the track crews coming to me, but I then blacked out. I don't remember what happened after that."

Mary: "That's awful!! You crashed?"

Braedey: "Yeah. It was tragic. I had to spend several months in surgery and recovery after that crash. When I saw the images and news reports of the aftermath of the crash when I was in the hospital, I couldn't help but think to myself "Was that really me?" It was gut-wrenching, to say the least to see the images and the footage."

Mary: "Then, what happened after the crash?"

Braedey: "About many months of being in surgery and recovery, the reality of what happened that day came to fruition. When I came back to the Redliners team, I went back expecting a happy 'welcome back'. Do you know what they said to me? "Get outta here, kid. You're a fossil!! You're history!! We don't need you anymore." They had kicked me right off of the team, and put in the next rookie standing in line, giving him the number 75. They said the number 95 was a curse to the team, and if any of them bore it, it would doom their team. There was a lot of fight left in me. I didn't get the chance to race again."

Mary: "Because of that crash, you were kicked out of your team, and was told to leave the racing world forever?"

Braedey: "Sadly, yes. It was a sad day for me, but it didn't last long. After about a few weeks of just watching other racers go by without having the thrill of it, two rusty cars, Rusty and Dusty, the owners of their racing team, 'Rust-Eze', offered me a place to join their team. They needed a new racecar, and their candidates were just not good enough."

Mary: "What did you say to them?"

Braedey: "I said, "I'm sorry. I can't go back to racing anymore. I'm not fast enough or good enough to get back on the track." But, they told me they could make me back into the racer that I was once before. They could make me faster and stronger, make me the fastest car in the world, and I could get back into the race. They took me to a training centre to get patched up and ready, and I was given a brand new overhaul and a grade-A redo. My engine was upgraded, so I could now, not produce a measly 503 horsepower, but now, a whopping 750 horsepower. My Lightyears were the newest off the factory floor, and they feel great. My drivetrain and my speeds hadn't felt so good in years, and I could now go up to 186 miles per hour. But, I needed some help to get back into fighting shape. Just being the part doesn't mean I can do it. So, the trucker, Mack, and myself began to look for new racers to have on the team, and see if they could get me back into peak condition. We soon managed to find one. It was none other than Lightning McQueen."

Mary; "So, that's how you met him and Mack!"

Braedey: "Yes. McQueen used to race under the sponsorship of 'Smell Swell Deodorizer'. He ironically had the same bodyshape as I do, except the vents on my sides, and the fact I had brown eyes whilst he had blue, and I was a darker shade of red compared to his bright red. However, McQueen was dropped from the label, all in favour for another young racer by the name of Sammy Smelter, whose poor racing fit the image of Smell Swell better, according to the representative who fired McQueen. The two of us, who overheard McQueen's termination, approached the young hotshot and we both offered to take him to Boston to meet for a job opportunity with Rust-Eze, who had been looking for another spokescar. During our trip, McQueen, myself, and Mack became fast friends, and I told McQueen that I used to be a rookie at my time. Upon our arrival in Boston, Rusty and Dusty offered the sponsorship to McQueen, and to get me back into fighting shape. Though McQueen was initially hesitant, due to the sponsor's humiliating demeanour, McQueen agreed, as long as Mack could become our transporter, and that i was to race alongside him. McQueen's racing abilities eventually got me back into the race, and it also garnered the attention of the Piston Cup Racing Series, and we both became the rookies in the championship's season..."

~*~*~{END FLASHBACK}~*~*~

"...And ever since that day, the two of us had stayed by each other's sides, though I've never told McQueen about my past." Braedey finished the story, then looked at Mary, who was in awe of the story.

"That was definitely something." Was all Mary could say in response to Braedey's story.

"I still brand the scar from the crash that day." This got Mary's attention, as Braedey popped open his hood, revealing his full-race V8 engine.

On the top of the engine block was a deep scar that was in the shape of a lightning bolt, with a series of small cracks radiating out from the origin of the crack, and it looked fairly nasty, in Mary's opinion.

"I keep that scar with me, to remind me of what had happened to me years ago. And it is to tell me to never make that mistake again." Braedey closed his hood, and he looked at Mary. "Now, you promise me that you won't tell anyone?" He asked her pleadingly.

"I won't. Your secret is safe with me." She told him, then felt her engine rumble. "Better get something from Flo's. See you there!" With that, she took off down the road in a cloud of dust, leaving Braedey to cough the dust out of his face.

"Hang on! Mary, hold up!" Braedey called, racing off after her in a rush.

"Catch me if you can, GoldBolt!" Mary laughed, as she drifted around the bend, and got back on the main road, Braedey charging after her, his engine roaring.

"Alright! You're on, Italia!" Braedey yelled back with a laugh, accelerating right past the FI2 Berlinetta, the two of them heading off back to Radiator Springs.

~*~*~

Meanwhile, back in Radiator Springs, Lightning was back to pulling Bessie down the road, but he had cacti stuck across his body, on his wheels and turned, one cactus stuck out of his fuel cap, and on his spoiler.

"'Turn right to go left.' Guess what. I tried it. You know what? This crazy thing happened... I went right!" McQueen muttered to himself, trying to see the logic of what Doc had told him earlier at Willy's Butte.

Nearby Lizzie was currently sitting at her porch. "You keep talkin' to yourself, people'll think you crazy."

McQueen looked over at her. "Thanks for the tip." He called back sarcastically.

Lizzie was confused. "What? I wasn't talkin' to you."

Over by Luigi and Guido's tyre store, the two of them were touching up on giving a repaint on the outside of the store, and even giving the windows a clean up, too.

Sally drove up, and she saw the sight of the shop facelift. "Oh, Guido, e bellissimo!" She said in Italian to Guido.

Guido stopped painting at that moment. "Che cosa?" He asked back in confusion.

"It looks great!" Sally replied back in English as she looks at the building. "This is great!"

Guido now realised what she meant. "Ti piace, eh? Si, si, bellissimo." He agreed back with Sally.

Over with Mater, he was fixing up the sign outside of his salvage yard. He swung his hook around to the sign like a lasso, and was straightening it up, until he passed gas.

"Oh, lord." Mater said as he dropped his cable, then the sign now leaned over the opposite way, making the tow truck laugh as he reeled his tow cable back in.

"Mater!" Sheriff called as he now pulled up to the tow truck."I need you to watch our guest and the prisoner tonight." He said to Mater.

"Well, dad-gum! Wait a minute, what if he tries to run again?" Mater now asked to Mater.

"Just let him run outta gas and tow him on back." Sheriff replied back to Mater's question. "But, keep an eye on them."

"Yes, sir!" Mater saluted, then he started to watch Lightning with only one eye open. Sheriff sighed to himself, and he drove off.

McQueen mumbled to himself as he continued to pull Bessie along the road. "While I'm stuck here paving this stinkin' road, Chick's in California schmoozing Dinoco. MY Dinoco." Then, he felt something touching his right rear wheel. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Who's touching me?" McQueen demanded in response. Guido now appeared next to him, as Luigi drove up.

"You have a slow leak. Guido, he fix. You make a such a nice new road." Luigi thanked to McQueen. "You come to my shop. Luigi take a good care of you, even though you not a Ferrari. You buy four tyres, I give you a full size spare absolutely free!" He offered.

"Look, l get all my tyres for free." Lightning spoke up.

Luigi now drove up to Lightning's right side laughing. "Oh, ho-ho. I like your style, eh? You drive the hard bargain. Okay. Luigi will make you a new deal. You buy one tyre, I give you three for free!" He offered.

With Sally, she was watching what was going on from Flo's cafe. She next saw Ramone repainting Flo's house fence, him rising and lowering each time he paints the fence posts thanks to his hydraulics and suspension. "Ooh... Would you look at that? Ramone, Ramone!" Flo commented.

Sally then saw looked over and she saw Red was now cleaning out the dust on the Leaning Tower of Tyres outside of Luigi and Guido's shop and she got an idea.

"Then Luigi make you a new new deal." Luigi told McQueen.

"No, no, no, no. Deal me out. Pass. No, thank you." Lighting replied back.

"No, no, no, no, no. This is it. My last offer." Luigi interjected. "You buy one tyre, I give you seven-a snow tyres for free! Done. You interested, you call me. You know where I am." With that, Luigi left for his shop, with Guido following after him, after he finished work with McQueen's tyres.

At that moment, Braedey and Mary now drove up to the café, and they slowed to a stop. The two had a great time driving about, and they were relaxing at Flo's, both of them having a good laugh as well as they arrived.

"Hey, do you know where Doc is?" Braedey asked in curiosity.

"Actually, I don't really know." Mary replied back in uncertainty.

Braedey decided to go see where he might be. As he made his way to the back of the mechanical clinic, he took notice and he saw what looks to be a garage just down in the back of the clinic.

Curious about this and wondering what's inside, Braedey decided to take a look for himself. As he entered the garage, he saw it was like a collector's garage: there were boxes filled to the brim and old belongings from the past, and the windows were fogged up and dirty.

"Whoa." Braedey commented, as he looked about the garage. "Might be time to clean up the garage, Doc…" He chuckled softly.

Braedey then spotted something out of the corner of his eye on top of a pile of boxes and cabinets, him turning to look in with wise eyes. There, sitting on top of the box, was a golden trophy in the shape of a piston with two small wings on either side. And in addition, there was a gold plaque on the black circular bottom, and it said this on the plaque:

'Hudson Hornet'

'Champion'

'- 1951-'

"Holy..." Braedey eyed the cup in shock, disbelief and surprise etched across his face. "Wait. He... he has a... Piston Cup?" He then looked down, and saw what looked to be two more cups with four racing tyres. He gently moved the boxes around them out of the way with his wheel so he could take a closer look, his eyes widening. "Oh my gosh. He has three Piston Cups?"

Braedey looked down at the two cups in awe, as he looks and saw the dates of them. The first one has '1952', and the second one has '1953'. Finally, he looked over at the newspaper on the ground next to the trophies and tyres. It had an image of what was Doc in racing colours and decals, and the headlines read this:

Third Piston Cup Win!

'Hudson Hornet'

'Champion For All Time'

"Would've thought you'd find this." Braedey jumped in response to that voice and looks back quickly, looking to the door. There was Doc sitting at the door.

"You... you have three Pistons Cups." Braedey stuttered after seeing the trophies and Doc. "How could you have three Piston Cups in the first place?"

Doc drove up slowly to him. "Can I trust you, if you can trust me?" He asked quickly and softly.

Braedey was confused, and nodded slowly. "Wait a second..." He looked down to the newspaper, then he looked back to Doc. "You're him, aren't you?" He asked. "You're the Hudson Hornet?"

Doc sighed quietly, and looked at the racecar. "Yeah. That's right. I am him." He replied. "Or rather was him."

"Whoa. I don't believe it." Braedey felt light on his own four wheels. "Of course. I can't believe I didn't see it before now. You're The Fabulous Hudson Hornet! You still hold the record for the most wins in a single racing season." He took a deep breath after that, trying to calm himself down. "Sorry if I'm like this. It's just that, you inspired my father, who helped me to realise my dream to be a racecar."

"I guess he was a great man." Doc sighed, then he gestured Braedey to the door. "Best you get going before your hot rod friend notices you gone."

Braedey nodded to him. "Okay. I won't tell anyone until you think it's right to tell him." With that, he began to drive out of the garage.

"Just one thing." Doc spoke up, and Braedey turned back around to him. "That scar. You're not the only one who has one."

Braedey looked at the blue Hudson with slightly wide eyes, then he realised what he had meant: Doc was in the same situation he was in when he crashed. He showed a small smile, and nodded to the blue Hudson. Then, he drove away, as Doc stayed inside his garage.

As Braedey made his way over to where McQueen was, who happened to have stopped past the curios shop with Bessie, he saw that his partner was looking over at Sally, and he could see what looked like a tattoo just underneath her rear spoiler.

McQueen smirked. "Hey, do I spy a little pinstriping tattoo back there?" He asked.

Sally spun around, embarrassed by that comment. "Oh! Haha. That's just a..." She then backed up into a tower of cones, making one land on her head. She laughed, and Lightning chuckled at this also. "You saw that? Yeah! Just gonna be going." She then backed into the motel, making the cone fall off her head, and bounce off her nose. "Gonna... Yeah."

"Ain't she something." Braedey commented to McQueen.

"You know, I once knew this girl Doreen." Mater suddenly appeared next to the two racecars, surprising them. "Good-lookin' girl. Looked just like a Jaguar, only she was a truck! You know, I used to crash into her, just so I could spoke to her."

Both McQueens looked at the tow truck in confusion. "What are you talking about?" They asked him in unison.

Mater shook his head. "I don't know. Hey, I know somethin' we all can do tonight, 'cause I'm in charge of watchin' both of you!" He said to the two.

"You do?" Braedey asked back.

McQueen shook his head. "No, Mater, I gotta finish this road, and we have to get out of here."

"Well, that's all right, Mr. I Can't Turn On Dirt." Mater replied, and decided to use reverse psychology as he began to drive away. "You probably couldn't handle it anyway."

"Whoa, whoa, easy now, Mater." Lightning spoke up, Mater stopping and looking back with a smile. "You know who you're talkin' to? This is Braedey Martin and Lightning McQueen."

"We can handle anything." Braedey added.