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The speedway during the Piston Cup season.
The Los Angeles International Speedway is a racing stadium located in Los Angeles, California. It is commonly used for races in the Piston Cup Racing Series, and it was where the historic three-way tie-breaker race between Lightning McQueen, Chick Hicks, and Strip Weathers at the end of the 2006 season took place.
History
Cars
McQueen and Chick make their bet.
In Cars, after Lightning McQueen, Chick Hicks, and Strip Weathers tie during the Dinoco 400 at the Motor Speedway of the South, a tie-breaker race to determine the 2006 season winner is set to be held at the Los Angeles International Speedway. While sitting on the winner's podium, McQueen and Hicks will have a competition in which the first of the two to reach the speedway will be the one to win the Dinoco sponsorship.
The three racers then set off for Los Angeles. Wanting to win the bet, McQueen convinces Mack to drive through the night without rest. Although Lightning ensures he will stay awake with Mack, he ends up falling asleep, with Mack coming close to falling asleep himself. The Delinquent Road Hazards, who are causing trouble on Interstate 40, sway Mack from lane to lane, unknowingly causing one of McQueen's souvenirs to fall off a shelf and activate the release lever, releasing McQueen from his trailer. When he wakes up in the middle of oncoming traffic, he races to find help, but tears up the road of Radiator Springs in the process, which gets him into legal trouble, delaying his arrival at the speedway.
Kori Turbowitz reports on Mack's arrival at the speedway.
Mack, unaware of McQueen's abscence, arrives at the speedway, but when he opens the trailer to the onlooking press, they are surprised to not find McQueen. Later that day, Hicks arrives at the speedway, becoming the focus of the press, and even winning over the support of some of Lightning's biggest fans.
When Doc Hudson calls and alerts the press of McQueen's whereabouts, Mack arrives in Radiator Springs and takes him away to Los Angeles. There, the tie-breaker race is held, which Chick Hicks wins his first title, although McQueen steals the attention by assisting Weathers, of whom Hicks had intentionally harmed out of frustration with constantly placing behind him. This results Chick Hicks having the spotlight taken away by the fans and media, while McQueen is hailed for his good sportsmanship on the track, thus being deemed as the true winner of the race.
Cars: The Video Game
McQueen wins the 2006 season.
In Cars: The Video Game, the Los Angeles International Speedway is the location of the fifth and final Piston Cup race of the 2006 season. Lightning McQueen emerges victorious, and collects his first Piston Cup trophy.
The Los Angeles International Speedway is a Piston Cup race with twelve laps. The player controls Lightning McQueen, with the most notable opponents including Chick Hicks, Hollister, Lee Jr., and Suregrip. During the story mode race, once the player's tire meter reaches yellow or red, they gain the ability to take a pit stop with Guido. Winning first place grants the player ten trophies, with second place awarding six trophies, and third place awarding four trophies.
In story mode, the event is unlocked by winning first place in Ornament Valley Grand Prix. Completing the story mode event unlocks it in arcade mode.
The World of Cars Online
The World of Cars Online
In The World of Cars Online, Los Angeles International Speedway was the sixth and final Piston Cup track. In order to race there, players needed 1,000,001 racing points. Winning the final heat of the race unlocks a Piston Cup accessory which players could then place in their yard.
The available sponsors including Dinoco, Rust-eze, N20 Cola, Octane Gain, Nitroade, and Mood Springs, while the opposing racers include Chick Hicks, Haul Inngas, and Greg Candyman.
Cars 3
Los Angeles International Speedway served as the location for the final race in the 2017 Piston Cup season, which was also the last race for Reb Meeker, Buck Bearingly, Brian Spark, Rev-N-Go Racer, Darren Leadfoot, Ponchy Wipeout, Murray Clutchburn, Ralph Carlow, Rev Roadages, and Dino Draftsky. After that, they all get replaced by next-generation racers. It was also the first race for Daniel Swervez and Chase Racelott, following Bobby Swift and Brick Yardley getting fired. Throughout the race, Lightning was able to make it close to the front of the pack with only Jackson Storm being ahead. Following a quick pit stop, Lightning was able to take the lead, but Storm is quick to pass him again. This prompts Lightning to try to push himself, but this only leads to his right rear tire blowing out and his overworked engine giving out, causing him to lose control, hit the outside wall, and go for a tumble across the track, all of which leads to significant damage that would take four months for him to recover from.
Other appearances
The Los Angeles International Speedway is the setting during the first Cars 3 teaser trailer. During a race there, Lightning McQueen suffers from an accident, putting his career in jeopardy.
Architecture
The Los Angeles International Speedway's track has an ovular shape, with one straightaway bearing a slight curve. The infield consists of a large field for caravans to view the race, as well as a pit row, sponsor tents, and a sandy lot for trailers to park in.
The entrance gate is very large, with large pillars with Piston Cup logos engraved in them. Outside of the main entrance tunnel is a yellow Piston Cup trophy statue. Surrounding the race track is an immense amount of space for spectators, which, according to announcer Darrell Cartrip, is able to fit 200,000 fans.
Gallery
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Names in other languages
| Language | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Spanish | Autódromo Internacional de los Ángeles | International Autodrome of los Angeles |
Trivia
- The track is inspired by the Auto Club Speedway.
- The venue for the Piston Cup tiebreaker race is a conglomeration of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, the Arroyo Seco in Pasadena where the Rose Bowl is located, as well as the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana.
- The Scoring Pylon (showing numbers 43, 86 and 95), along with the one at the Motor Speedway of the South, is inspired by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
- In Cars, despite Darrell mentioning the attendance being nearly 200,000 cars, the speedway really only had 100,000 cars seated in production terms plus an additional 1,500 in the infields and aisles. This is still larger than the Motor Speedway's 60,000 in the audience and 700 in the infields and aisles. Additionally, there are 13,000 cars entering the stadium to find seats.[1]