- "Wow! Thank you, Mr. McQueen. You have no idea what a pleasure it is for me to finally beat you."
- —Jackson Storm, ”Cars 3”
Jackson Storm is the main antagonist of Pixar's 18th full-length animated feature film Cars 3. He is the arch-nemesis of Cruz Ramirez and Lightning McQueen.
He is a custom-built Next-Gen race car who competes in the Piston Cup Racing Series. Following his debut in 2016, Storm has proved to be highly talented, hitting top speeds that veteran racers struggled with reaching (210+ mph). Storm's stellar performance sparked interest in the next-generation of racers, and other Piston Cup teams began replacing their veterans with newer, more powerful racers. Storm achieved many wins during his first full season, and even set the record for fastest lap of all time at the Florida International Speedway. He is also part of the next generation of high-tech racers. He is a rude and arrogant racer because of his skill.
Knowing how talented and successful he is, Jackson has a oversized ego, and disrespects other racers beyond simple trash talk. One of Storm's biggest rivals was Lightning McQueen, who crashed while attempting to keep up with Storm at the Los Angeles 500. After a long absence, McQueen returned to the Piston Cup for the Florida 500, but since he wanted to give Cruz Ramirez a chance to race, he made her finish the race, even though he wanted to finish the race. Cruz managed to escape by flipping over Storm like Doc since she was slammed into the wall, allowing her to win the race and made him finish 2nd. Storm's racing number is 20, however, it is designed with the design of 2.0 sponsored by IGNTR to resemble the next-generation. His crew chief is Ray Reverham, his pitty is Laura Spinwell and his truck hauler is Gale Beaufort.
History
Before Cars 3
Before the events of Cars 3, Jackson was a cyber-sportsman, making a living playing racing video game Super Corsa 3. His greatest achievement was winning a lot of money from a cyber-sport tournament organized by businessman Axle P. Biggs. He organized this tournament to find a worthy racer for his team. His team was able to recruit piston cup racers Storm and Tim Treadless out of the 10 cars that entered this competition, Jackson was the winner. Mr. Biggs asked a pickup truck named Ray Reverham (A.K.A Jackson Storm's Crew Chief) to find Jackson and engage him in the real sport.
In the beginning, Jackson declined, having earned enough money from his career in cyber-sport. He liked his freedom and did not want to change anything. Mr. Biggs blackmailed Storm, saying that if he did not become a racer then he would have to return all the money that he won from the tournament, and that he would not be involved in the video-gaming business. Storm then accepted the offer, but his cockiness was hard to deal with.
He began training in a special racing center with the other next-generation racers, but again, his attitude was a huge problem. He would often bully other members of the training center and steal their allotted time on the racing simulators. He would frequently challenge the other racers on the simulators, and upon losing to one racer in particular, Storm raged, damaging equipment and setting off the fire alarm. Due to repeated bad behavior, Mr. Biggs decided to fire Jackson. Ray saw some kind of potential in Jackson, however, and decided to leave the training center with him.
IGNTR, a liquid adrenaline company, soon offered to sponsor Jackson. He accepted, on the condition that Ray could be his crew chief. A statistical analyst from the racing center had actually contacted IGNTR and told them about Jackson's skills.
Meet Jackson Storm - Disney-Pixar's Cars 3
Cars 3
Storm's debut at Copper Canyon Speedway. He is seen speeding by McQueen, Swift, and Weathers.
Jackson Storm is the main antagonist in Cars 3. He makes his debut in the Dinoco 400 at the Copper Canyon Speedway. As Lightning McQueen, Bobby Swift, and Cal Weathers are approaching the finish line neck-in-neck, Storm manages to pass all three of them, surprising the three racers as well as the audience. As Storm drives onto the winners' podium to enjoy his victory, Lightning kindly approaches him, congratulating him on a good race. However, Storm responds by arrogantly expressing his pride in winning, annoying McQueen. The press then arrives to take pictures of the two, and Storm mocks McQueen about his age while enjoying the opportunity for good press. He then enters his hauler, who drives away, leaving McQueen insulted.
A graph displaying Storm's technical specifications.
On Chick Hicks' show on the Racing Sports Network, he and Natalie Certain discuss Storm's victory, explaining that Storm is part of the next-generation of high-tech racers, and is capable of incredible things thanks to his next-generation design. Many racing teams take interest in this and begin firing their old racers in favor of newer, more able next-gen racers. Some do not have the motivation to continue racing against them and instead choose to simply retire, like Cal Weathers.
McQueen rushes out of the pits before Storm.
Storm runs after McQueen Out of the pits
Throughout the rest of the season, more and more veterans are replaced by next-gen racers, and by the season's final race at the Los Angeles International Speedway, Lightning McQueen is one of the very few traditional racers left. McQueen starts off the race by passing Storm, but Jackson easily moves back ahead. Nonetheless, McQueen is able to keep up with Storm, and the two eventually enter the pits together. McQueen, recognizing that his only chance of winning is to get out of the pits before Storm does, barks orders at Guido, and rushes out of the pits. McQueen makes it out before Storm does, and gains the lead. However, Storm quickly overcomes him, and as he passes, trash-talks McQueen, wishing him a good retirement. This gets to McQueen, and he begins fading. Determined to continue, Lightning begins pushing himself far past his limits, but his right rear tire blows out and his engine overheats, which causes him to completely lose control of himself and hit the wall hard enough to send him airborne and into a nasty rollover crash. McQueen is then removed from the race and Jackson wins the race, as well as the 2016 Piston Aup. fter a few months of moping around, Lightning finally finds the motivation to start training again to face Storm. He travels to the Rust-eze Racing Center, where he meets teacher Cruz Ramirez, who helps him train. Ramirez puts images of Storm in front of McQueen while he is practicing on treadmills, to motivate him. Additionally, when Lightning uses the simulator for the first time, he discovers that Storm is one of the computer racers. After witnessing McQueen's weaker top speeds, Sterling urges him to retire. However, Lightning manages to convince him that if he can beat Storm in the Florida 500, he can continue racing.
Cruz's costume resembling Jackson Storm.
Throughout McQueen's training, Storm is continually used as motivation for Lightning. While practicing at the Thomasville Speedway, his mentor Smokey has Cruz Ramirez don a costume resembling his appearance.
As the Florida 500 approaches, Jackson continues to practice using a simulator. While using it, Storm passes McQueen, and asks Ray Reverham, his crew chief, why he is in the simulation. Reverham tells Jackson he manually put McQueen in, claiming he needs practice against real competition. Immediately after saying that, they both laugh, completely dismissing McQueen as a threat.
Storm sets the record for fastest lap of all time at 213 mph, followed by 214 mph the next day.
Once Storm arrives at the Florida International Speedway, he takes a practice lap, setting the record for the fastest lap of all time. As Lightning watches news this on television, he hears Natalie Certain predict Storm's chances of winning, which are incredibly high.
As McQueen and Ramirez are preparing in the pits, Storm greets Cruz, who is still wearing her Storm costume. He arrogantly offers a picture, and when McQueen interjects, he mocks McQueen over the selling of McQueen-branded mudflaps. Since McQueen did not show up to take practice laps at the speedway, he is required to start dead last. Though a difficult obstacle to overcome, McQueen manages to gradually work his way through the pack. However, while hearing Sterling rudely tell Cruz she is not a racer, Lightning gets the idea to enter her in his place, as she has always dreamed of being a racer, and demonstrated extraordinary abilities during their training.
Though hesitant, Ramirez enters the race as a substitute. She begins working her way up to the front, with McQueen coaching her. As Cruz continues to gain on Storm, Reverham warns him, but Jackson dismisses it up until she takes third place. Recognizing she could actually prove a threat, Storm backs up to Cruz and insults her, telling her she will never be like the other racers. The harsh words get to Cruz, but McQueen builds her back up by explaining that Storm would not have done that if he was not nervous. Using this knowledge, Cruz starts drafting behind Storm and trash-talks him. Storm angrily loses his focus, and as Cruz moves to pass him he had had enough as he forcefully pushes her into the wall to prevent letting her win the race. However, Cruz thinks back to how Doc Hudson performed a flip move to get out of a similar situation, and uses the maneuver to pass Storm, ignoring him and winning the race. Storm finishes 2nd, making it the first race since his debut that he had lost.
After the Florida 500, it is unknown what happened to Jackson Storm as he was not seen after Cruz won or the end credits' pictures. It can be presumed that he still keeps racing to try to beat Cruz but still lost to her in the end.
Miss Fritter's Racing Skoool
In Miss Fritter's Racing Skoool, Storm is seen in a news footage headlining that Cruz Ramirez beat Jackson Storm to win the Florida 500 trophy for Lightning McQueen.
Cars 3: Driven to Win
Cars 3: Driven to Win
Storm returns as the main antagonist in Cars 3: Driven to Win. After the events of the film, he allows his rivals, Lightning McQueen and Cruz Ramirez time to prepare to race for the upcoming Piston Cup Series (although Cruz retorts that he beat Storm once and can do it again) as Chick Hicks created the "Lightning Storm Cruise", a head-to-head race featuring Lightning McQueen, Jackson Storm, and Cruz Ramirez at the Florida International Speedway. After losing the race to McQueen, Storm grew tired of losing and determined that he could beat Lightning and anyone else, anywhere, anytime. As a result, Lightning and Cruz invite him to race at Thunder Hollow only to end up being chased by Miss Fritter with Chick Hicks filming it for RSN.
He is unlocked by completing the Master-level event Jackson Storm Race.
Disney Parks
When the movie was about to premiere, Storm would appear in the Nationwilde Tour along with Cruz Ramírez and Lightning McQueen at the Disney World-Orlando Sentinel, and also at the Disney Springs, Road to Races.
General information
Personality and traits
McQueen kindly introduces himself to Storm, only to be disrespected.
Storm possesses a large ego and he is representative of his next racing generation as a whole. Knowing full well that he is capable of incredible abilities, Storm tends to take little notice of other competitors, believing they are no threat to him. Many fellow racers view his cocky demeanor as off-putting.[1] He is an example of what Lightning McQueen could have become had he not reformed himself in his rookie year and didn't get lost in Radiator Springs.
In the past, Storm used to be very cocky but carefree during the time he won various races in a game called "Super Corsa 3", where he met his crew chief, his friend and Sponsor. However, after he was defeated by Tim Treadless, he became frustrated and rageful.
When talking to his competitors, Jackson delivers effective trash-talk, and acts incredibly disrespectful towards them, especially older racers. On the rare occasion that he does recognize a competitor as a threat, he takes the time to insult them, which will often get into their heads as he got into Cruz's head causing her to temporarily give up.
When Sally came to see McQueen's final race she saw Storm interacting with Cruz before they got on the track in a mean way, and she said that he is a jealous.
Storm becomes very angry in times of weakness though he denied this when Cruz said he was angry and when Cruz Ramirez moved to pass him during the Florida 500, Jackson responded by violently slamming her against a wall. He only was known to cheat when Cruz Ramirez passed him most likely out of anger of losing against her and primarily beat McQueen due to his fast speed. It is likely he did not cheat during any other times due to his ability to win races and since people usually would not pass him.
While Natalie Certain talked about Jackson Storm, a wind tunnel stat showed his speed as 245 mph.
Physical description
Storm's sleek design.
Having been built specifically for racing, Storm's design is quite advanced, and his sleek model was constructed with carbon fiber and metal composite, with the concept of speed in mind. A 2017 Custom built Next-Gen Piston Cup Racer, his chassis is built with hydroformed alloy and steel. His Maximum Performance V8 hybrid engine with 850 horsepower is responsible for his ability to accelerate from 0-60 in 3.6 seconds, as well as his top speed of 245 miles per hour. If the nitro was used it would be about 300 miles per hour. [2]
Storm is painted in a black livery, with his doors sporting a design resembling a thick blue lightning bolt. His eyes are greyish blue and his sides also feature his racing number, 20 (however, it's stylized to look like "2.0" to resemble the next generation), as well as contingency sponsors, including the Piston Cup, Combustr, Carbon Cyber, and SynerG in addition to his own sponsor, IGNTR Liquid Adrenaline.[3]
Powers and abilities
With a Maximum Performance electric motor, 850 hp, a hydroformed alloy & steel chassis, and a carbon fiber and metal composite body, he can go from zero to sixty miles per hour in 3.6 seconds, and go up to 214 miles per hour.[2]
Specifications
- Vehicle type: 2017 Custom-built "Next-Gen" Piston Cup Racer
- Top Speed: 214 mph or 345 km/h
- 0-60 mph: 3.6 seconds
- Engine Type: Maximum Performance V-8
- Displacement: N/A
- Drivetrain: Front Engine, RWD
- Horsepower: 850 hp
- Chassis: Hydroformed alloy & steel
- Body: Carbon Fiber & Metal Composite
Creation and development
Jackson Storm was designed to look sleek, sharp, and intimidating. Pixar’s artists used modern supercars and cutting-edge concept vehicles as visual references. His low profile, angular lines, and aggressive styling reflect real-world hypercars.
.jpg){kind=link}
Jackson Storm's final concept
Storm embodies the technological advancements in racing. His character was built to show how data analytics, wind tunnel testing, and virtual simulations are becoming dominant in professional motorsports.
Official Pixar promotional materials and “making-of” featurettes on Cars 3 Blu-ray/DVD provide insights into Storm’s development.
2.jpg){kind=link}
Jackson Storm in The Art of Cars 3.
The Art of Cars 3 book includes concept art, early sketches, and commentary from the production team about how Storm was developed to represent the "new wave" of racers.
Brian Fee, the director of Cars 3, mentioned in interviews that Jackson Storm was created to reflect the fears of being replaced and the struggle of adapting to change — themes central to McQueen’s arc in the film.
Bios
Meet the Cars
- Cocky and sure of himself, Jackson Storm is a young Piston Cup rookie with his eyes focused solely on the championship. Coming out of nowhere in the racing world, Storm trained primarily on high-tech simulators. He displays refined technique but little practical wisdom on the track. Winning has come all too easy to Storm, so he's unable to fathom defeat - yet. His overconfidence may be his ultimate downfall.
Pixarpedia
- Jackson Storm has shaken up the world of racing! This ambitious Next Gen is streamlined for speed. He is confident that nothing will stop him from winning the Piston Cup — not even Lightning McQueen.
Cars 3 Diecast Collection
- The poster child of the Next Generation of elite racers, Jackson Storm is skilled, focused and seemingly unbeatable. He doesn't race to make friends or be anyone's hero; he races to win.[4]
List of appearances
| Title | Year | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Cars 3 | 2017 | |
| Cars 3: Driven to Win | 2017 | |
| Storm Chasing | 2017 | |
| Miss Fritter's Racing Skoool | 2017 | |
| "Whose Side Are You On?" | 2019 | The Official Magazine #1 |
| "Decisions, Decisions, Decisions!" | 2019 | The Official Magazine #2 |
| "A Stormful Start" | 2019 | The Official Magazine #3 |
| "Storm Chasing" | 2019 | The Official Magazine #4 |
| "Sweet Dreams, Storm!" | 2019 | The Official Magazine #5 |
| "Wounded Pride" | 2020 | The Official Magazine #3 |
| "The Gas In The Bottom Goes Back" | 2021 | The Official Magazine #1 |
| "Pitch Black!" | 2021 | The Official Magazine #4 |
| "Super Speed with New Fuel!" | 2021 | The Official Magazine #6 |
| "Unexpected Advertising!" | 2022 | The Official Magazine #3 |
| "Quiet, Please!" | 2022 | The Official Magazine #4 |
| "An Inflated Ego" | 2022 | The Official Magazine #6 |
Gallery
- For this subject's image gallery, see Jackson Storm/Gallery.
Names in other languages
- Bulgarian: Джаксън Сторм (transcription: Dzhaksŭn Storm)
- Chinese (simplified): 风暴杰森 (pinyin: Fēngbào Jiésēn)
- Chinese (traditional): 風暴傑森 (pinyin: Fēngbào Jiésēn)
- Czech: Jackson Hrom
- Finnish: Jackson Myrsky
- Greek: Τζάκσον Στορμ (transcription: Tzákson Storm)
- Hungarian: Jackson Vihar
- Japanese: ジャクソン・ストーム (romanisation: Jakuson Sutōmu)
- Korean: 잭슨 스톰 역 (romanisation: Jaegseun Seutom Yeog)
- Lithuanian: Džeksonas Audra
- Polish: Jackson Sztorm
- Romanian: Jackson Vârtej
- Russian:
- Джексон Шторм (transcription: Dzhekson Shtorm)
- Джэксон Сторм (transcription: Dzhekson Storm)
- Ukrainian: Джексон Шторм (transcription: Dzhekson Shtorm)
Quotes
- "Good luck out there, champ. You're gonna need it!" - Cars 3
- "You have no idea what a pleasure it is for me to finally beat you." - Cars 3
- "I think you've heard me." - Cars 3
- "Yeah yeah, come on, let's get a picture! You know - get a ton of pictures, because champ here has been a role model of mine for years now! I mean A LOT of years, right? I love this guy!" - Cars 3
- "I think I touched the nerve." - Cars 3
- "Hey champ, where'd all your friends go?" - Cars 3
- "Hey, McQueen, you alright? Listen, don't you worry, pal, you had a good run. Enjoy your retirement!" - Cars 3
- "Oh, wow. Nice costume! Come here, let's get a picture. It's so great to meet my number one fan!" - Cars 3
- "Oh, hey there, champ. I heard you're selling mudflaps after today. Is that true? Hey, you put me down for the first case, okay?" - Cars 3
- "No, no, no! You are not winning this!" - Cars 3
- "I am NOT angry!" - Cars 3
- "You don't BELONG on this TRACK!" - Cars 3
- "I SAID I'M NOT ANGRY!" - Cars 3
- "You're kidding me? He put her in the race?" - Cars 3
- "Oh! Well, I guess it's time to win...again!" - His Racetrack Talkers toy
- "Hey, loser! There's a Storm coming!" - His Racetrack Talkers toy
- "What do they say? Oh yeah! Next gens are the best gens!" - His Racetrack Talkers toy
- "Yeah, well, don't let it go to your head." - Cars 3: Driven to Win
- "Trust me, I won't be out of first place for long." - Being passed in Cars 3: Driven to Win
- "Getting tired yet?" - Cars 3: Driven to Win
- "Finally! Some competition." - Cars 3: Driven to Win
- "We'll see who speeds by who next." - Cars 3: Driven to Win
- "Just like in training." - Cars 3: Driven to Win
- "Take the HINT already!" - Cars 3: Driven to Win
- "Nice chat, but I've got a race to win." - Passing another racer in Cars 3: Driven to Win
- "Speed's all that matters." - Cars 3: Driven to Win
- "This is hardly a setback.." - Being passed in Cars 3: Driven to Win
- "It's just a little friendly competition." - Cars 3: Driven to Win
- "Don't get too sure of yourself!" - Cars 3: Driven to Win
- "I'm still gonna win, don't you worry." - Cars 3: Driven to Win
- "Review the footage! There's no WAY you won!" - Being defeated in Cars 3: Driven to Win
- "That race was fixed for ratings! You know I can beat you anytime, Lightning. I can beat anyone, anywhere! Just bring it!" - Cars 3: Driven to Win
Trivia
- By winning the Piston Cup in his rookie year, Storm achieved what McQueen almost did in the first Cars film. However, it is not known whether this makes him the first rookie to win the Piston Cup, the distinction McQueen was aiming for at that time, as technically, Doc Hudson also fits in that category.
- Storm was originally planned to be the main antagonist of Cars 3 (because he appears in a majority of the promos). But when the film came out, he is the film's overarching antagonist, which means he only appears two times in the movie (in the beginning and during the climax), having around 15 lines of dialogue recorded in one day by his voice actor Armie Hammer during recording for the movie. The film's true main antagonist is Sterling, due to him having more screen time and lines than Storm.
- Cars fans love Storm in the movie, so he appears as the main antagonist of Cars 3: Driven to Win.
- Jackson Storm is a 2017 Custom-Built Next Gen Piston Cup Racer, a Pixar in-house design which seems to be a mix between Generation 6 NASCAR cars, specifically Chase Elliott's 2016 Chevrolet SS according to Jay Shuster's artwork, and concept cars such as the 2014 Nissan Concept 2020 Vision Gran Turismo, and the 2002 Cadillac Cien Concept (with more futuristic styling).
- Storm also resembles the Le Mans/GTP prototype Cadillac V-Series.R, despite the car not being produced until several years after the character's appearance in the Cars 3, in particular 2023.
- Although Jackson Storm lost the race against Cruz Ramirez, Cruz Ramirez never said his name (or vice versa) despite her being called "#1 fan" and "costume girl" by Storm, since she doesn't know him at all and doesn't completely care about him.
- Also, Sally says that Storm is a "jerk". Sally never said Storm's name and Storm never said Sally's name since she and Storm don't know each other at all.
- It is unknown why McQueen never won the Florida 500, but is possible that he cannot beat Storm, as he is unstoppable against McQueen.
- Although Storm is the fastest Piston Cup racer (and car overall in Cars 3), he is not actually the fastest car overall in the entire universe; the record was held by Francesco Bernoulli (Lightning's previous rival in Cars 2), with a top speed of 220 mph.
- He is one of the three Next-Gen racers to have a named hauler. The other two being Paul Conrev and Eric Braker.
- There was no proper reason for him to try ramming Cruz into the wall towards the end since even if he lost, he would still have had an impressive winning streak.
- There is one scene in the film where he acknowledges McQueen, as a "crafty veteran champ", in his words.
- As a racer himself, Jackson Storm appears to be the exact opposite of The King. Both men are known for their constant winnings while they're on the racing track, which causes other racers to envy them in some degree. By contrast, their last shown racing performances has them being outbeaten by those who were begrudged by each of them. The main difference, however, is that The King does not let his racing success get onto his head, while Storm heavily prides himself on being an athletically skilled performer towards others (hence, his trash talking). Additionally, in regards to their finally performed races onscreen, The King has accepted his technical loss at the Piston Cup, whereas Storm took it personally when Cruz is about to win the Florida 500.