Next gen headcanons? 🤔
Like, Jackson, Cruz, Tim, Danny, Chase, and Ryan?
Oh boy, that's a few characters. Alright, strap in then. Probably also gonna throw in Bubba because he's my favourite non-main next gen <3
(Humanised, as always)
(Quick disclaimer for this one, none of these are supposed to reflect on the irl racers that gave their names and voices to them - I'm treating these characters as though they're entirely fictional and not based on/inspired by real people. I make my HCs literally just based on Vibes (and RPs))
Jackson Storm:
6'1 and fit AF. Clearly spends a lot of time in the gym toning his body and muscles. He is male model levels of gorgeous. Physically flawless black man <3
Short black dreadlocks dyed blue at the ends.
Aromantic (female-leaning)bisexual.
Autistic.
Ray knew he was autistic before Jackson even knew himself, and is the reason he even got diagnosed in the first place.
One of his most common complaints is still about the reflections of the sun glinting in his eyes. The loud noise of the track still gets to him occasionally, but he has special earplugs to help him deal with it.
Can usually be seen drinking a can of IGNTR's flagship energy drink before a race. It helps him calm down and focus in. His sponsors love it, for obvious reasons.
Any time he's on camera, he acts calm and cool but internally he's freaking out. If they ask something he doesn't expect, he visibly tenses up and flounders for a second as he tries to figure out what to say, even if it was a simple question.
Doesn't do fan meets or signings unless he absolutely has to. Even then he tries everything he can to get out of them.
His physical attractiveness makes his already poor attitude even worse. Doesn't know how to talk to people, but gets all the praise and attention he could ever want online.
Yes, he posts photos of himself on various social media. He wasn't sure at first, but Ray convinced him to start shortly after his debut race, hoping that it would help reassure him and give him a bit of a confidence boost. Naturally, it went a little TOO well...
He's a gamer through and through. In any downtime he gets, he's still topping the leaderboards on just about every popular racing game you can play online. He also enjoys the occasional game of CoD and will verbally rip anyone to shreds if they try to come at him.
DUBSTEP. He loves it. If his skull isn't rattling from absolutely filthy, grimy bass, he's not interested.
So, of course, he has to have an incredible sound system that's probably worth more than the average person's car.
He doesn't watch anime. (Stop asking him if he does) Most of his entertainment comes from Twitch streams.
He streams himself playing Super Corsa 4 any chance he gets. Which isn't often with the packed NASCAR schedule, but he tries his best. His user is UrStormChasing
Still doesn't get along with Tim after their rivalry in training and isn't very good at pretending he does either. Their crew chiefs have to make deliberate efforts to stop them from running into each other before they get into their cars.
Cruz Ramirez:
5'5 with an athletic build. She is a Latina woman with visible abs and she deserves them gdi.
Side-parted brown hair a little shorter than jaw length, perpetually kinda wild looking.
Chaotic lesbian hours!
ADHD
Literally cannot sleep at night without a big, milky mug of coffee.
It's not normal to wake up and go for a run before even having breakfast?
She's teaching Lightning to use social media more regularly (for better or for worse). His homework is to send her a funny meme or video that he found that week.
The result of this can sometimes be catastrophic. She'll never be able to unhear him uncertainly attempting to use outdated slang.
Almost every race, there's someone complaining about how she doesn't weigh enough and it's unfair to the rest of them. So she forces them to watch as race officials put extra weights in her car.
Has cussed Danny out in Spanish across Pit Road and will do it again if he carries on-
Is probably the only person on Team Dinoco that is actually nice to Cal and doesn't try to tease him. They get along well.
Tim Treadless:
6'0 with a broad frame and light muscle tone.
Tanned skin and tousled brown hair.
Straight ally.
Just call him Mr. Charismatic, everyone loves him.
Everyone except Jackson, that is. Jackson is the only person who brings out his anger to the point of wanting to throw hands.
Has a wife and a baby, bc of course he does.
One of those guys some people hate for being irritatingly perfect. Usually people that don't actually know him.
Has type 1 diabetes and a bad nut allergy.
Was pulled out of a race at the last minute when he went into anaphylactic shock - the entire race was almost stopped when people started to whisper that it was foul play. The race went on, but the only reason for Treadless' absence was that he had to be pulled for "unforseen medical issues".
Some of the other racers still blame Jackson, who actually had nothing to do with it.
Danny Swervez:
5'10 and fairly slender. Not a lot of bulk to him.
Tanned skin (he's Latino) and short black hair.
Cishet male.
This man is FULL of himself. What an attitude.
Genuinely a good racer, but not many people like him.
He's not a good guy. He's given Cruz some trouble for being a woman, though after she embarrassed him by publicly cussing him out in Spanish, he's learned to keep his unpopular opinions on her to himself.
Isn't exactly what we would call "faithful".
But hey, at least he doesn't cheat on the track (smh)
Has just as little respect for the older racers as Jackson, but is less vocal about it.
Is very bitter about Jackson and Tim being more popular than him, yet still does nothing to change himself for the better.
Has at least attempted to physically fight with other drivers that messed with him on the track several times.
Chase Racelott:
5'9 with a build somewhere between Danny and Tim.
Pale skin and dirty-blonde hair.
Straight ally.
Generally a pretty likeable guy. Not as well-loved as Tim, but he has a good amount of pretty dedicated fans.
Makes jokes about being single/available.
Has pretty average performance on the track, not great, but not poor.
Fairly high energy, he gets along well with Cruz.
Probably one of the best with kids. Has a lot of younger fans because of how he interacts with them during meets and signings.
One of the few who will try not to leave until he's spoken to every fan who wanted to meet him, no matter how long it takes.
Often seen hanging around with Ryan - the two of them cause some pretty good natured trouble together, often involving pranks on the other racers.
Ryan "Inside" Laney:
5'11 with a broad build similar to Tim.
Mixed race (¾ Caucasian, ¼ African American), with short black hair.
Closeted bisexual.
Friendly, but not really a standout character as far as the fans are concerned.
Kind of cocky, but in a cool way.
Has a girlfriend who travels with him.
Agent of chaos when he spends too much time with Chase. Don't turn your back on him.
Bubba Wheelhouse
Absolutely massive 6'2 gentle giant
Another gorgeous black man (fight me), his skin tone isn't quite as dark as Jackson's
Closeted homosexual
Has a fake relationship with a lesbian woman who's actually just his best friend (the racing world is scary and the US South probably wouldn't love an openly gay driver)
Kids ADORE him. Him and Chase are the drivers with the most kid fans.
Throws a football around with fans over the catch fence during rain delays (this one is based on the real Bubba Wallace bc its wholesome af)
Gets asked all the weird gay questions by everyone in the friend group. (Ex. "Is it gay if...?" "What is X actually like?")
Legit just trying to mind his own business, he doesn't want any part of drama or rivalries.
Occasionally finds himself roped into girl talk if the guys have their S/Os around. They're very excited to include him. He's too polite to decline.
