Start Your Engines: We’re Revving Up for Cars 3 With Some Only-At-Target Fun

Ready to kick summer into overdrive? Buckle up, because tomorrow, Lightning McQueen is back on the track—and on the big screen. And we’re revving up for the Cars 3 debut, TargetStyle. That means tricking out a huge collection of Cars 3 gear that you’ll only find at Target, from tees and tanks to toys and bedding. Plus, we’re turning to our favorite race pro for a little extra inspiration.

From the moment Lightning McQueen first blew past the checkered flag in Disney and Pixar’s 2006 Cars, we’ve been racing to make sure Target always has the best Cars gear for our little race fans. And now, 10+ years and three movies later, we’re still dreaming up new ways to spark kiddos’ imaginations and put them in the driver’s seat of their favorite franchise like only Target can.

Who better than a true racing pro to help us bring the beloved McQueen character to life? To celebrate Cars 3, we teamed up with NASCAR star Kyle Larson to soup up his car to look like Lightning McQueen.
Let’s just say that he’ll hit the track with lightning speed. We sat down with Kyle—and his adorable racer-in-training, two-and-a-half-year-old son Owen—for the scoop.

Kyle, racing’s in your blood—how are you sharing your passion with Owen and a new generation of race fans?
With Owen, I’m doing a lot of what my parents did with me—bringing him to the race track whenever I can. When I was a kid, I was in the stands with my parents just about every weekend. I’m fortunate to be able to get Owen a little closer to what’s going on by bringing him into the garage on the weekend. He really likes helping the crew by pushing the car around for tech and doing what he can to “work” on our Target Chevy. I always like seeing other young fans at the track with their parents. It kind of reminds me of my childhood and is also great to see the next generation of NASCAR fans. I try to take the time to sign stuff for kids or take a photo and make their trip to the race track a special experience.

What inspired you to trick out your car as Lightning McQueen?
With Target we’ve been able to have a lot of neat paint schemes on our #42 car, but as the dad of a toddler, this one probably ranks at the top. Since he was really young, Owen has loved playing with race cars and making race car noises, so I guess it wasn’t a surprise that he’s a huge fan of the movie Cars. So, I’d have to say Owen would be my inspiration. It’s cool to have the opportunity in my job and with a partner like Target to kind of bring to life something that Owen really likes.
Is Owen pretty excited for Cars 3? Does he have a favorite characters or toy?
He’s very excited! Tow Mater is his favorite for sure. He loves his new Tow Mater toy from Target—it talks and can pull up to 200 pounds. And he’s really excited to see dad race the Lightning McQueen car this weekend.