Disney/Pixar sent me on an all-expense paid trip as part of the Cars 3 Sonoma Raceway press event in San Francisco. All opinions are 100% my own.
History of Racing, Cars 3 Movie, Sonoma Raceway, Pit Stop Training and High-Speed Car rides= a Very Exciting 6 hours!
Cars 3 is speeding into theaters near you on June 16th! I have never been so excited about a Cars movie. Want to know why? I got an amazing behind-the-scenes look at how Cars 3 was made!
Before I tell you about my amazing day, be sure to check out the new trailer- you will be just as excited for June 16th as I am!
“Cars 3” Introduces the Next Generation, Brings Back Old Favorites and Follows Everyone’s No.1 Race Car on the Journey of a Lifetime
Lightning McQueen is back on the big screen, but he’s not a rookie anymore. Blindsided by a new generation of blazing-fast racers, the legendary Lightning McQueen finds himself suddenly pushed out of the sport he loves. “He’s struggling with the kind of issues a lot of athletes face later in their careers,” says producer Kevin Reher. “Do you go out on top or fight till the end?”
Follow along on my amazing day to see how Lightning McQueen takes on his new journey.
Filmmakers wanted to infuse “Cars 3” with a nod to racing history and the nostalgia of the early days. As Lightning McQueen struggles to get back on top, his explorations lead him to a group of characters who represent the roots of stock car racing—and provide a link to Lightning’s late coach and mentor, Doc Hudson. To really home in on who these characters should be, members of the story team went to NASCAR’s Daytona 500 to soak up the atmosphere. “We found a wealth of information there that gave us a springboard to find these characters,” says Rich. “They show Lightning that racing can be a lifetime thing. It might change over time, but you adapt and learn to race differently. The love of racing has never left these legends.”
The Sonoma Raceway:
It was a beautiful, sunny, slightly windy day on the raceway. I have only been to one other raceway and it didn’t even come close to the size and functionality of Sonoma!
The compound was amazing, clean, and did I mention HUGE? Safety is key and we learned all about the track and how the racers keep safe. Notice that the girls that rode in the race cars had to wear red hats under their helmets. It was quite a fashion showcase!
History Lessons:
Who knew racing history could be so much fun! Jay and Ray taught as all about the history or Racing- from dirt tracks to the Legends of racing! I am not a big history buff, but Jay and Ray made it so fun- I actually found myself reading more about the history of racing!
Here are some fun facts for you:
- NASCAR stands for National Association or Stock Car Auto Racing.
- Dirt Tracks were the thing on the beaches of Daytona. This was around the late 1930’s. Moonshiners, war heroes, would win on Sunday and Sell on Monday!
- Hudson Hornet – Doc Hudson was based on a real car!
- We learned about Mario Andretti in 1967 – winning the Daytona ad Indy 500 all the way up to the Cars of Tomorrow- 2010 Camry and 2012 Dodge Charger. Don’t forget the Next Gen Cars- we will talk about them in a future post!
The Legends of Racing are seen in Cars!
- Junior Johnson – 1944 Standard Moonshine car- is Junior Moon. Junior got his start running homemade “fuel” through the wooded back roads with only the moon to light the way.
- Wendell Scott- is River Scott . In 1963, Scott became the first African-American driver to win the Grand National Series at Jacksonville’s Speedway Park.
- Louise Smith- the first lady driver- (she won 38 times by the way) and first woman in NASCAR hall of fame is Louise Nash. Which brings me to a great quote of hers in the movie: “Life is too short to take no for an answer.”
- Smokey was inspired by real-life legend Henry “Smokey” Yunick. A racer and designer in NASCAR’s early days, Yunick was best known as a mechanic, builder and crew chief.
High Speed Racing Hot Laps:
I have to admit, this is one part of the trip I had to miss. Due to my back surgery, I was told by my Physician that I could not Ride in a race car. BUT, I do have some fun footage of Barb from Rural Mom in her GoPro video!
It didn’t stop me from getting fun pictures with all the bloggers in their “red hats” that they wore under their helmets! You can read Olivia’s (From This N That with Olivia) fun post HERE and Dina’s (from My Unentitled Life) post HERE.
Pit Stop Training:
I have always wondered how the pit stop crews changed tires so fast- now I know! It’s all about teamwork, preparation and teamwork! You can’t do it alone!
I did not get a fancy certificate of achievement for the Pit Stop Challenge, it was another one of those activities I was not supposed to do. I did love watching my fellow bloggers compete for the fastest time. After a few tries, some of my blogger buddies were ALMOST as fast as our trainers!
I love that Loyal Transporter MACK, big-hearted Italian Fiat 500 LUIGI and charming little Italian forklift GUIDO continue to support Lightning McQueen’s racing endeavors. Love this picture with Dina, me and Olivia!
Garage Tours:
The Garage tours were not quite as entertaining as the rest of our day, but very interesting! After getting my brain full of racing history, I was able to appreciate and understand more in these tours than I thought I would! The main thing that makes all the difference in the world is ORGANIZATION! There is NO other way to survive this kind of environment.
WOW, I wish my garage looked like this!
How beautiful are these cars? I have some pictures I will share on social media all this week! Be sure to look for them!
Check out The Rock Father’s fun video of the day below:
What I learned on Sonoma Raceway for Cars 3:
RACING IS FUN! After all, who wouldn’t want to ride in this HUGE shopping cart?
I can’t WAIT for June 16th to get here! I haven’t been this excited about a movie opening in, well, FOREVER!
Be sure to stay connected socially for ALL of the latest information and be sure to RACE to the theaters on June 16th!!
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Check out my other Cars 3 Posts HERE!
Cars 3 toys are on AMAZON NOW!!