This Animator Is Making a 'Cars' Prequel Film With Spot-On 3D Models of NASCAR Icons

A fan animator is building a Cars prequel focused on NASCAR history, using detailed 3D models of familiar icons. Ariya Alexander Berenji, who runs the YouTube channel R-ya Productions, says the film will depict how “The King” earned his crown before he became Strip Weathers, featuring additional NASCAR lore. The project introduces a younger character inspired by Dale Earnhardt in a black livery with number three, while Weathers is shown in a blue-and-orange look tied to Petty’s later era. It also includes a young Chick Hicks voiced in the original by Michael Keaton, a new character called Toni Jo Torque (“The Queen”), and settings such as Copper Canyon Speedway plus a bowling alley and ice cream parlor. The movie is set in the 1980s and aims for a deliberately retro style.