Claude Scruggs

Claude Scruggs
Vehicle type	Husker Morocco
Occupation	Piston Cup racer for Leak Less (formerly)
Main portrayer(s)	Rodger Bumpass
Character information Alias(es) Leak Less Gender Male

"Like I was tellin' you, I'm a racing veteran..."

—Claude Scruggs, Fans Old and New

Claude Scruggs, sometimes nicknamed by his sponsor Leak Less, is a professional race car who competed in the Piston Cup Racing Series, driving as No. 52 for the Leak Less-sponsored team. A gutsy and dedicated racer, Claude was a more than twenty-year veteran, before retiring from the Piston Cup circuit sometime before the events of Cars 3. He is a friend and ally of Lightning McQueen.

History

Cars

Scruggs' collision with No. 123 Todd Marcus

In Cars, Claude is one of the thirty-six cars competing in the Dinoco 400, the final race of that year's Piston Cup season, held at the Motor Speedway of the South. When leader Chick Hicks starts a multi-car pileup, he is one of the many cars involved, being battered and bumped around against his competitors. Following a brief respite, Claude is unintentionally rammed by No. 123 Todd Marcus, and the two find themselves roof-to-roof, Claude flipped upside down. When the two stop and hit a wall, rookie Lightning McQueen uses Scruggs as a launchpad to jump over the remainder of the pileup and escape unscathed. Although Claude suffers some minor cosmetic damage, he is fixed up in the pits and returns to complete the race.

Official Magazine comics

Claude helps Lightning McQueen sneak out of the stadium.

Claude makes a central appearance in the Official Magazine comic Fans Old and New. During a training session at the Los Angeles International Speedway, a reporter named Chuki intrudes Lightning McQueen's pit stall, looking for tabloid gossip. Claude notices McQueen looking uncomfortable, and shows him to a service ramp door leading directly outside, so they can exit without being seen. Claude leads McQueen to a fan rally at his sponsor tent, and introduces him to several of his long-time fans, many of which happen to be former Radiator Springs residents who recognize McQueen. Ironically, McQueen wonders to himself if Chuki would have asked him less questions.

Other appearances

In the book Race Around the World, Claude is shown finishing second in the final race of the newly-renamed Hudson Hornet Piston Cup season, ahead of Misti Motorkrass but behind Lightning McQueen.

General information

Physical appearance

He is a Husker Morocco with a black, white, and yellow livery, sporting Leak Less sponsor decals and Lightyear racing tires. Similarly to Chick Hicks, the black grille above Claude's bumper and mouth resembles a mustache.

Friends and teammates

Stacy and the other Leak Less pitties help Claude during a pit stop.

Claude is friends with fellow racer Lightning McQueen. The two participate in training sessions together and look out for one another on the circuit.

As a member of the Leak Less team, Claude races under coaching of crew chief Earl Filter, while relying on his several pitties, including Stacy, for assistance. He and his belongings are transported between races by the Leak Less Hauler.Template:Clear

Official profiles

1:55 Scale Die-Cast cardback

• "To make it to the Piston Cup takes a lot of dedication, guts, and horsepower! Here's to the Leakless car. He may not have come in the top 3, but he's a winner none-the-less!"

Car Finder game

Profile	Name and make	Description
	Claude Scruggs #52 Husker Morocco	"Some would say that Leakless Adult Dripping Pans is not a prestigious sponsor, but Claude Scruggs would disagree, he's been the #52 yellow, black and white for more than two decades and he wears the Leakless logo with pride. His fan base might be a bit older but thanks to the automotive boom of the late 1940s there are a lot of them and their enthusiasm for the sport and for Scruggs is so intense they can barely contain themselves."

List of appearances

Title	Year	Notes
Cars	2006
Old, New, Red, Blue!	2006	Cars tie-in book
The Rookie	2009	Cover only
"On-Track Fun"	2009	Cars Magazine #18
"Fans Old and New"	2009	Cars Magazine #19
Go with the Glow!	2009	Appears as a sticker
The Fast Lane	2010	Cover only
Race Around the World	2011

Quotes

• "An old trick among us veterans! In all modesty, I've been racin' for over twenty years!"
• "Hee! Hee! They're not exactly what I'd call "new"!" - Fans Old and New
• "...And my fans are getting up there in years!" - Fans Old and New

Gallery

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  Cars

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  Cars promotional image

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  Cars

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  Cars

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  Race Around the World

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  Diecast

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  2006 release

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  2007 release

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  2008 release

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  2020 release

Names in other languages

Name	Language	Meaning
Polish	Klaudiusz Krab	-
Brazilian Portuguese	Claude Scruggs	-
Russian	Клод Скрагс	-

Trivia

• Claude's artwork was seen in an early development screenshot of Cars 2: The Video Game, as part of the character select garage. While it is possible he was considered to included as a playable character, it is likely that his and other character artworks were merely used as a concept placeholder.