Lightning McQueen in 2005

**Lightning McQueen in 2005** is the first ever episode of the first ever season of The Missing Rings. It covers up Lightning McQueen's rookie year in 2005 and how he was so close to winning.

## Transcript

Lightning McQueen was, is, and forever shall be a legend. While we remember his 7 championships, his record tying 7th in 2015, and the all around great status career he had, many forget that it started out in grad and fast fashion. So well, he was in serious contention for the 2005 championship in his rookie year. What if he won this title? This is Lightning McQueen’s 2005 missing ring.

***(The intro starts playing)***

McQueen's season began in unusually good fashion, taking his first podium finish at the Nightdona 500, and just one race later in Las Vegas, he would take his first victory.

***(Some footage of the 2005 Nightdona 500 and the 2005 Las Vegas 400 is showing on screen)***

The next 4 races saw him finish in the Top 10 in each of these, but coming into the 7th race of the season, The BnL 500 at Atlanta, came his first stumble, when he got his first DNF of his career, finishing 29th in that race.

***(The 2005 BnL 500 crash is showing on screen)***

Despite the crash, he recovered many points, finishing second in MSOTS, and winning the following week at Watkins Glen, basically, Lightning McQueen had become a contender to win the Piston Cup, alongside the ever-chasing Chick Hicks, and the 7-time Piston Cup champion, Strip Weathers "The King". For the next few races everything was amazing, he finished in the Top 5 in the next 5 races, except for the Mood Springs 400 at Richmond where he finished 11th. But entering Michigan, everything went downhill...

***(The Big One of the 2005 Michigan 400 is showing on screen)***

He was involved in a massive wreck caused by Chick Hicks on lap 145, preventing him from finishing the race, finishing 20th. While the race in Los Angeles was like most of his season, at the Rev N Go 350 at Phoenix, he was again involved in another wreck caused by Chick Hicks, marking his third DNF of the season and his career overall.

***(The Big One of the 2005 Rev N Go 350 is showing on screen)***

McQueen finished the race in 26th place, and has been known to fire his first crew chief. Although even with all the setbacks, he would manage to win two races in a row, the first being the Mario Andretti 400 at Chicagoland, and the second the Gasprin 400 at Nightdona, these would be the rookie's last victories of the season.

***(Footage of McQueen winning the 2005 Mario Andretti 400 and the 2005 Gasprin 400 is showing on screen)***

After that, the next few races were still excellent, although at Calladega, thanks to another crash caused by Chick on lap 18, McQueen would finish the race in 33rd place.

***(The Big One of the 2005 Calladega 500 is showing on screen)***

But as always, McQueen quickly made up his points for several strong results, continuing to battle for the Cup alongside Chick Hicks and Strip Weathers. But arriving at Cartinsville, an infamous event would occur.

***(Footage of the McQueen's slow pit stop at the Cartinsville 400 is showing on screen)***

After a very slow pit stop, McQueen would finish the race in 20th place, and this led to the firing of his second crew chief, and calling himself "a one man show", although his reputation and behavior were questionable, he continued being consistent during the final races of the season, until this happened...

***(Footage of McQueen crashing at the Richmond 400 and firing his third crew chief is showing on screen)***

His fifth and final DNF of the season would occur in the penultimate race of the season, in addition to firing his third crew chief, he would finish tied with Strip Weathers and Chick Hicks in the standings for 5013 points.

And we came to the last race of the season, the infamous 2005 Dinoco 400. McQueen, without a crew chief, began to do anything on the track to pass the other racers.

***(Footage of McQueen passing Floyd Mulvihill and Rusty Cornfuel in two tires and dodging the Big One caused by Chick Hicks is showing on screen)***

And after dodging the massive crash involving nearly every racer on track, obviously caused by Chick Hicks, he would make a decision that would change not just his season, but possibly his entire career.

***(Footage when McQueen didn't changed his tires, and when he passed the finish line at the same time as Strip Weathers and Chick Hicks is showing on screen)***

Because he didn't change his tires after the crash, one of McQueen's tires blew out, and in order to win the Piston Cup, he stuck his tongue out to the finish line to pass at the same time as Chick and Strip, ending up in the tiebreaker race in Los Angeles, all the news of McQueen lost in Radiator Springs would happen, and going to the race, with a new "pit crew" and with Doc Hudson as crew chief, the time would come to decide the winner, and the race was not easy for McQueen.

***(Footage of some of the more memorable moments of the race, such as McQueen drafting at the dirt or driving backwards, were showing on screen)***

It looked like he might finally become the first rookie to win the Piston Cup, until...

***(Footage of the moment when Chick made Strip Weathers to crash and spin a lot of times is shown on screen, when Lightning helped The King to finish his last race, and Chick Hicks being booed by the fans)***

McQueen suddenly stopped, giving the win and the Piston Cup to Chick Hicks, to help Strip Weathers finish the race.

Although he earned the respect of many fans for knowing how to lose, and while Chick was booed and temporarily banned from the Piston Cup, there are still some who wonder:

What if McQueen had won more races and even the championship in his rookie season?

What if McQueen had been more respectful to his crew chiefs?

What if McQueen hadn't changed his tires on the Dinoco 400?

What if, in 2005, Lightning McQueen captured, his missing ring?

*(End credits start to roll)*

**End of Transcript**