More Than New Paint

More Than New Paint is the last deleted scene from Cars 3.

An alternate ending, where Rust-eze Racing team owner Sterling would have realized that Cruz Ramirez, McQueen’s trainer, was the one more fit for the track. In this scene, Sterling corners Lightning McQueen in a garage and tells him that it’s time to quit competing.

Sterling takes the pragmatic view that McQueen can become an even bigger brand after he stops racing. McQueen could make even more doing sponsorships than racing could ever offer, Sterling argues. McQueen wants to race, though. He has no interest in pitching tires.

At the end of the scene, Sterling strips off McQueen’s racing numbers and says that he’s no longer on the entry list. Ramirez will take McQueen’s place.

This scene would have robbed McQueen of a lot of agency in the film by making a third party decide for him to quit racing rather than coming to that conclusion naturally.