State of Equilibrium: Lightning McQueen is racing as normal with his truck

Disruption: Lightning forces Max to keep driving but ends up sliding out of the back of his car space

Recognition of Disruption: Lightning realises he is missing in radiator spring but the rest of Lightning’s team doesn’t know where he is

Attempt to repair disruption: Lightning fixes the road that he trashed and practices his racing

Return of new equilibrium: Lightning races and doesn’t win the Piston Cup, but wins honour for saving dynamo.