Cars and Nascar

lol yeah lame title.

I noticed a lot of tie-ins with Nascar and Cars. Paul Newman was involved in racing, and some characters were based on actual racing personalities.

I’m curious to know if any of you noticed a lot of these things?

(also sorry if there’s already a topic like this…)

I believe “The King” is supposed to be Richard Petty, that’s just me…

Yep. He’s voiced by Richard Petty too… :smiley: and he’s the same color as Petty’s famous car. Not sure why Pixar wanted to add him…except maybe since he’s so iconic to the sport?

Whoa, did not know that, thank you lol

It’s kinda obvious, but few Asians know that The Hudson Hornet is an actual NASCAR racecar, and my favorite one at that, too. Go Doc.

And don’t forget Dale Jr. (formerly #8 ) was in the movie :wink:

The guy still races, but he just has a different car and sponsor now.

I knew that… but who is the Italian car?

haha. I really want to own a Hudson Hornet x3 I <3 Doc xD

Yeah I loved how they kept Dale’s number 3 stripe in the film. I found it odd that he kept on popping up in the same places as the King xD

Michael Schumacher, a racer from a Euro. racing leauge. I can’t exactly point out the name though.

I hope these links will be useful :slight_smile:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Cars_characters
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Schumacher

Formula One? I think. . .

Back off! Doc is mine! (I know, off topic, but I had to say that!)

OH NO YOU DI-IN’T~ shot ;D (ha ha it’s cool…I’m just surprised people replied to my topic :stuck_out_tongue:)

It should be Formula One. I can’t think of any other world racing series that’s that popular…He might also drive in other series. Racers seem to like doing that xD

I have actually driven a 1951 Hudson Hornet, and almost bought it, but I wound up buying a couple of Studebakers instead. Let me tell you, there is a LOT of power in that car-it sounds more like a Harley Davidson engine than a car! When you’ve always had little four-cylinder gas-miser cars or trucks, getting behind the wheel of a real powerful old heavy car can be quite an experience…one that can be really bad on your bank account and insurance policy, if you’re not careful, since these old cars were made back in a day and time when most of the country had no speed limits. They are FAST, and they accelerate REALLY fast, considering that they are so heavy. My little Studebaker is about the same size as a Toyota Camry, but it weighs two TONS, dry weight(totally empty, no gas, no passengers), but it will generate some G-forces when you touch the gas pedal! It’s so sad that these independent car companies, like Hudson-Nash and Studebaker-Packard, could not compete with the Big Four, GM, Ford, Chrysler, and Oldsmobile(now, that last one is history, too), since they had some really great cars and made a lot of inovations. Some of the earlierst NASCAR champions drove Hudsons and Studebakers, but the sponsors began to abandon these independent car companies in favor of the Big companies, and they could not continue to compete without the sponsors.

I’ve always suspected that Dale Earnheardt SR was the inspiration for Chick Hicks. He had that same mustache, and was known for being a bit of jerk sometimes(sorry, Dale Sr. fans, but that was my personal observation)who tended to push the envelope at times, when it came to the rules and sportsmanship. He was well-known for “swapping paint” on the track, and nearly got into a few brawls with other drivers who were less than happy with his strategies.

pitbulllady

You…you…you’re awesome. Knowing all that __

I, too thought a bit of Dale Sr. was put into Chick. Though I think it was more of his driving style, than his actual personality. idk. I hear he was a decent guy in person. I never liked him much though… :stuck_out_tongue:

One word for you: lucky! I’m too young to drive, so that ain’t happening until three years (they raised the driver age in my state :frowning:) But I could be in one! But no. I haven’t. I’m jealous!

The Hudson I drove was an awesome car. It had been completely restored by a guy in North Carolina, then the guy got cancer and died, and his wife was having to sell off his cars to pay medical bills, which was really sad. These cars were very comfortable to ride in or drive, and Hudson had some really neat innovations. The front seats folded completely back and lay flat to make a double bed with the back seats. There was a tissue/napkin dispenser on the dash, built-in. Hudson was also the first auto company to feature the “step-down” interior design that is a staple of modern cars, where the floor of the car is actually several inches below the level of the door bottom, instead of right there. This was an important safety measure. They were also the first cars to have factory air conditioning. That engine, though, is something else-there’s nothing, other than a big American V-Twin motorcycle, that has that sound or that feeling of power! It had a special fuel-recovery system, using two carbs, that made it maximize power and fuel efficiency, in spite of the size. That was one of the hallmarks of both Hudson and Studebaker-good gasoline mileage, in a day when gas was like, 15 cents per gallon! The other American car companies are still playing “catch-up” with them on that.

pitbulllady

My dad has a V-Star motorcycle so I can guess about how much power a Hudson’s engine is. :open_mouth: Wow! The more you say about the car, the more I want one.

I know right? I’m old enough to drive but I lack the confidence to get a license. I’ll be changing my mind if I get to drive one of these. xD