Chick Hicks

Chick Hicks is the main antagonist of Cars. He is Lightning McQueen's chief rival during the film. His nickname is "The Runner-Up", as he seems to always lose to The King. He also does not race fairly.

Official Description(s)
"Chick Hicks is a racing veteran with a chip on his shoulder, a ruthless competitor who has cheated his way into more second-place finishes than any other car. He's been counting down the seasons to The King's retirement so that he can take over the coveted Dinoco sponsorship, but he never expected such fierce competition from hot shot rookie Lightning McQueen."

"In Lightning McQueen's worst nightmares not only does Chick Hicks win the Piston Cup, but he wins over Dinoco as well."

Cars
Chick's primary sponsor is the Hostile Takeover Bank (htB). His car number is 86, which refers to the year Luxo, Jr. was released.

Chick ties with The King and Lightning in the Piston Cup championship, forcing the three racers to compete in a tiebreaker race. Chick later mocks McQueen on winning the Piston Cup and sponsorship of Dinoco. Lightning retaliates by nicknaming Chick "Thunder" due to that thunder always comes after lightning, much to Chick's intense annoyance. He, however, later shows off with this new nickname after Lightning disappears in Radiator Springs, wooing his fans and stealing Lightning's. He makes numerous attempts to force Lightning out of the final race, only to be outrun by him in spite of it. He intentionally sideswipes The King during the final lap, making him spin out of control and crash. When Lightning sees what has happened to The King, he stops before crossing the finish line and goes back to help The King across the line. This allows Chick to win first place and the Piston Cup. But nobody cheers him on, instead cheering on Lightning for helping The King. The fans then turn on Chick, causing him to make a quick getaway with his trophy and making him realize the "Chick era" just ended as soon as it started.

It is unknown what happens to Chick afterwards, but it appears that he has been denied the sponsorship by Dinoco as Tex instead tries to offer it to Lightning for his good sportsmanship.

Cars 3
Chick Hicks reappears in Cars 3, having successfully reinvented himself as a commentator for the RSN, where he has his own segment. He gives boisterous commentary on the recent Piston Cup results, and often shares the stage with statistical analyst Natalie Certain, who gives further analysis and forecast. During his monologues Chick brings up his one Piston Cup win every time he gets the chance, and proudly features the trophy on the stage next to him. His commentary makes it clear that he is more than thrilled that McQueen is challenged by Jackson Storm, with whom he is shown to have a live interview after one of his victories. McQueen watches Chick's segment several times throughout the film to get up to date on Storm's latest progress.

Personality
Chick is extremely rude, arrogant and centered on himself and winning, not unlike McQueen himself. However, these traits are more exaggerated in Chick, and often make him more ridiculous or obnoxious. Chick always brags about winning, and he's also sarcastic and intimidating. Having lived all his career in the shadow of The King has made him bitter and devoid of any sense of fair play.

Chick largely serves as a parallel to McQueen. They are both racers who dream of getting at Dinoco, which represents the peak of success. McQueen, however, learned to accept that helping others is more important than fame and fortune. Chick, on the other hand, failed to learn the error of his ways and let his anger be his downfall. Chick serves as an example of what McQueen would become if the latter had allowed his anger and arrogance to consume him.

Trivia

 * Chick made his team wear "mustache" grilles to represent him.
 * Chick has proven to be friends with DJ, Snot Rod, Boost and Wingo, who have helped him on various occasions.
 * According to the 2009 Die-cast Collectors Guide, Chick Hicks has 334 decals on him.
 * Chick is a 1979 Shyster Cremlin, a car that does not exist. It is designed after a 1987 Buick Grand National.
 * 86, Chick's number, could reference 1986, the year that Pixar was established.
 * Even though he didn't appear in Cars 2, players can download him for Cars 2: The Video Game.
 * On his right door, there is a picture of the Marshy-Marshmellows logo. This is mostly the same company which was seen in A Bug's Life under the name of "Joel's Marshy Marshmellows."
 * In the Polish version, his name is Marek Marucha. Ma rucha means "He has speed."
 * A 1:55 scale die-cast of Chick Hicks appears in one of the exhibit elements at The Science Behind Pixar along with Lightning McQueen and Brush Curber.