NASCAR’s European Series Honors Disney Movie That Featured Dale Earnhardt Jr and Richard Petty 17 Years Ago

There are many NASCAR enthusiasts across the world whose first exposure to the world of motorsports was through Disney-Pixar’s ambitious creation, Cars. It not only portrays the intricacies of motorsports but also portrays the facets that a young racecar driver needs to have—being neck-deep in competition without losing the real essence of oneself.

The characters that were portrayed in Cars and its sequels are not larger than life. Rather, the movie tried to connect to the audience through the trials and tribulations that the characters undergo throughout the film.

While at first glance, the film might be considered a figment of the fictional world of story-telling. But if delved deeper, it does bear similarities with the world of stock car racing. And this particular aspect was officially recognized recently. 

Disney Pixar movie to be commemorated at Speed Fest for NASCAR connect

After watching the movies released under the Cars franchise, one is able to spot the similitudes in the rules, regulations, and even characters shown in the films with the real-life NASCAR action. 

While the film deals with the journey of Lightning McQueen, from being a novice in the world of motorsports to finding his true self and maturing in due course of time. Moreover, many of the characters in the film were based on real-life NASCAR stars including Richard Petty, Darrell Waltrip, and Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Owing to this fact, the American Speed Festival is set to welcome the protagonist of the film Lightning McQueen for the first time to commemorate Disney’s centenary celebrations. The news was released by Brands Hatch, on its official Twitter account: “KA-CHOW! In partnership with Mattel, Disney, and Pixar Cars returns to @BrandsSpeedFest on 17/18 June with a life-size Lightning McQueen model as part of Disney’s 100th Anniversary celebrations!”

In its official statement that was released, Brands Hatch asserts the fact, “Lightning McQueen is portrayed on screen as a stock car racer, and his real-life counterparts will be in action throughout the SpeedFest event in the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series – the only officially sanctioned race series of its kind on this side of the Atlantic.”

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The uncanny connection between Cup drivers and the movie characters

Apart from portraying the veteran drivers in the film, the other connection between the Cars and NASCAR is Chase Elliott. It might come as a shocker for many that the character of Chase Racelott from Cars 3 bears a resemblance to the golden boy of NASCAR.

Moreover, the 2020 Cup Series champion also lent his voice to the same character. The car also bore the number 24, which was Elliott’s rookie car number. Apart from him. Cars 3 also featured Daniel Suarez as Daniel Swervez, Ryan Blaney as Ryan “Inside” Laney, and Bubba Wallace as Bubba Wheelhouse, among other famous names.  

With the fest on June 17–18th, it is to be seen what more surprises the fest has for NASCAR fans. It will be surely interesting for many as they would be able to re-visualize a slice of their childhood once again.

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