Piston Peak National Park is bringing two new “Cars” attractions to Magic Kingdom. Here’s everything we know about the massive Frontierland expansion.

One of the biggest transformations in Magic Kingdom history is underway. Piston Peak National Park, a new area inspired by Disney and Pixar’s Cars, is being built in Frontierland as part of the largest expansion in the park’s history.

First announced at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event in 2024, the new area won’t recreate Radiator Springs. Instead, Lightning McQueen, Mater, and other Cars characters are heading into the “wheelderness” for an adventure inspired by America’s national parks and the Rocky Mountains.

And thanks to new announcements from D23 2026, we now know the names and details of both attractions coming to Piston Peak: Cars Ridge Run Rally and Miss Fritter’s Daredevil Spin-Along.

Piston Peak Overview

Piston Peak National Park will be a fictional national park located within the world of Cars. Disney Imagineers are drawing inspiration from the Rocky Mountain region, the American Frontier, and the history and landscapes of U.S. national parks.

Guests will explore a wilderness filled with towering trees, snowcapped mountains, waterfalls, rivers, and geysers. Within the park, Disney has teased locations including a visitor lodge, Ranger HQ, and trails, all designed to make Piston Peak feel like a real national park — if that national park happened to be populated by cars.

Piston Peak model. Photo Courtesy of Disney

The area will include two new attractions: Cars Ridge Run Rally, an off-road racing adventure through Piston Peak, and Miss Fritter’s Daredevil Spin-Along, a family-friendly attraction hosted by the demolition derby-loving school bus from Cars 3.

Where Will Piston Peak Be Located?

Piston Peak National Park is being built in Frontierland at Magic Kingdom, taking over the former area occupied by Tom Sawyer Island and the Rivers of America.

The Rivers of America, Tom Sawyer Island, and Liberty Square Riverboat permanently closed on July 7, 2025, clearing the way for the massive project. Construction is now fully underway on Piston Peak.

Disney is designing the new area to continue the visual and storytelling progression guests experience as they travel from Liberty Square through Frontierland. That journey moves from the colonial influences of Liberty Square through the North Woods around Grizzly Hall, New Orleans at Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, and the Arizona-inspired landscape surrounding Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.

Piston Peak will continue that westward journey with a setting inspired by America’s national parks and Rocky Mountain wilderness.

What Is Piston Peak National Park?

While Piston Peak itself is fictional, its design draws heavily from real U.S. national parks and the landscapes of the American West.

Photo Courtesy of Disney

Imagineers are creating an environment filled with rugged mountains, dramatic peaks, towering trees, waterways, waterfalls, snow-covered landscapes, and geysers. Disney has also revealed that guests will be able to explore locations including the visitor lodge and Ranger HQ.

Buildings throughout Piston Peak will use a design style Disney refers to as “Parkitecture.” The architectural approach was developed by the National Park Service to create buildings that harmonize with their natural surroundings rather than compete with them.

Landscaping will also play an important role in integrating the area into Magic Kingdom. Trees will create a natural barrier between the off-road rally and neighboring areas of Frontierland and Liberty Square, while Piston Peak’s mountains will rise alongside a waterway across from Grizzly Hall. Geysers will help visually connect the new area with the landscape around Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.

What Rides Will Be in the Cars Area at Magic Kingdom?

We now know the names of both attractions coming to Piston Peak National Park.

Cars Ridge Run Rally

The headlining attraction will be Cars Ridge Run Rally, an ambitious off-road racing experience that Disney says will be unlike any other attraction in the world.

The story will have racers heading into the “wheelderness” in search of its wildest racer, competing to set the “fastest lap in the west.”

The course will send vehicles through landscapes inspired by America’s national parks, including ridges, rivers, mud flats, wooded trails, and geyser fields.

Photo Courtesy of Dinsey

One of the biggest moments will come when racers climb Piston Peak itself, eventually reaching an icy, snow-covered mountaintop. From the summit, vehicles will plunge into a camelback descent before continuing through the wilderness.

Later, racers will navigate a geyser field and circle the Old Tankfull geyser before making a final sprint toward the finish line.

And there will be some familiar faces waiting for racers: Lightning McQueen and Mater will cover the competition live for the Racing Sports Network.

Cars Ridge Run Rally Will Use an Entirely New Ride System

Cars Ridge Run Rally isn’t simply putting a new theme on an existing Disney ride system. Imagineers are developing an entirely new off-road ride vehicle for the attraction.

Rather than creating a vehicle that simulates the sensation of driving off-road, Disney says these vehicles will actually drive over and react to the physical terrain beneath them. Their tires and suspension will respond to the course, allowing riders to feel the bumps, drops, and rocks along the route.

Photo Courtesy of Disney

Imagineers previously revealed that they worked with a motocross company to construct a real dirt track and study how off-road vehicles respond to rugged terrain. Data gathered during those tests helped inform the development of the attraction’s ride vehicles.

The vehicles will also have individual personalities, with each racer receiving its own name and number.

Miss Fritter’s Daredevil Spin-Along

The second attraction coming to Piston Peak now has an official name: Miss Fritter’s Daredevil Spin-Along.

Inspired by Miss Fritter, the “Diva of Demolition” introduced in Cars 3, the family-friendly attraction will invite guests to join what Disney describes as her wildest demolition derby yet.

One of the attraction’s biggest features will be Miss Fritter herself. Disney has revealed that the ride will feature a massive, school-bus-sized Miss Fritter Audio-Animatronic presiding over the action.

Disney hasn’t yet shared the full ride experience or additional details about how guests will participate in the demolition derby, but the attraction will provide a second, more family-focused experience alongside Cars Ridge Run Rally.

How Will Piston Peak Fit Into Frontierland?

Since Piston Peak was first announced, one of the biggest questions has been how a Cars-themed area will fit within Frontierland.

Disney has now provided more context for how Imagineers are approaching that challenge.

Rather than treating Piston Peak as a recreation of Radiator Springs, the area is being designed as the next chapter in the westward progression of Frontierland’s environments and stories.

Guests moving from Liberty Square through Frontierland already pass through environments inspired by different places and periods in American history, eventually reaching the desert landscape surrounding Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Piston Peak will continue that journey into the national parks and wilderness of the American West.

The national park setting also allows the area to focus on themes of exploration, adventure, and forging new paths, which Disney sees as connecting Piston Peak with the broader storytelling of Frontierland.

When Will Piston Peak National Park Open?

Disney has not yet announced an opening date or opening year for Piston Peak National Park.

However, the project has reached a significant new stage. The former Rivers of America, Tom Sawyer Island, and Liberty Square Riverboat closed permanently in July 2025, and Disney has confirmed that construction on Piston Peak is fully underway.

We’ll continue to update this guide as Disney reveals an opening timeline, height requirements, and additional details about both attractions.

What Else Is Coming to Magic Kingdom?

Piston Peak is just one part of what’s being described as the largest expansion in Magic Kingdom history. Disney is also developing a new Villains-themed land beyond Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. The land is expected to feature two major attractions along with dining and shopping.

What We Still Don’t Know About Piston Peak

D23 2026 answered some of the biggest questions about Piston Peak, but there are still several details Disney has yet to reveal.

We still don’t know when Piston Peak will open, the height requirements for Cars Ridge Run Rally or Miss Fritter’s Daredevil Spin-Along, or the specific dining and shopping locations planned for the area. Disney also hasn’t confirmed whether Lightning McQueen, Mater, Miss Fritter, or other Cars characters will be available for meet-and-greets.

For now, we know Piston Peak National Park will bring two completely new Cars attractions to Magic Kingdom, anchored by an innovative off-road racing experience and surrounded by one of the most ambitious new environments ever created for Frontierland.