owen had despised country music for a long time. he hated it, couldn’t sit through a single song of the genre. then, he ( accidentally ) cruised on into radiator springs and it changed his views on many things- country music being one of them. they played the songs in every store, on every radio station that would come through, he just couldn’t escape it. after all, he had referred to radiator springs as ‘ hillbilly hell ’ once, and even though he considered the small town a second home now, he’s not sure he’d take that comment back. well, he would, but somehow, they’d made him one of them, he was sure of it. of course, no one could know that! so, while he normally cruises around town with the windows down, music as loud as he decided it should be that day. the days where he’d put on all the songs he learned back in radiator springs were different. instead of driving by the coast, he’d hit the road. these drives were long ones. he’d drive til he hit route 66, and then he’d drive some more.
today, though, he was going to indulge himself. as soon as he got his tires on route 66, he let his windows down, the music flowing into the air around him, flying out the windows. he hadn’t packed a thing, but he could already tell he wasn’t going to stop driving until the sun set. he hadn’t driven this far, this long, since the accident, but maybe it was time. he knew if he kept driving, he’d hit radiator springs. it was a tempting thought. he missed it, now more than ever. the neon lights, the peaceful atmosphere, sally, his friends, the memories, all of it. just the idea brought a longing to his heart, something he wanted needed to do. it was time, and he could feel it in the music, in the wind, in his chest. there was no better place in the world to go when he needed time to think. and so, he drove. he was going home.