When Madden NFL isn’t busy hiking its way to the top of the sales charts year after year, it’s kind of nice to see there’s at least some friendly competition to be had in vying for the number one spot. For example, did you know that 2006’s runner-up in videogame sales, tallying up an impressive seven million units shipped to date, was none other than Disney-Pixar’s Cars? Yep, looks like more than just the animated flick itself was a runaway hit, as the game marked D-P’s fastest-selling in history, earning itself the coveted “no.1 selling kids video game brand.” Because apparently, kids love games.

Given all the jolly kids and corporate folks drowning in money, we’re not terribly surprised to see THQ pulling the ol’ sequel card on its now best-selling license. And for PlayStation 3/PlayStation 2/Xbox 360/Wii/Nintendo DS/Game Boy Advance owners, it means Cars Mater-National.

If the name smacks of a fictitious, sponser-rific race festival, that’s because it is one (the first annual, at that), in which players will compete for the chance to square off against Lightning McQueen himself (and everyone knows you can’t knock a racer with a lame name when he’s better than you). Set in the new and improved world of Radiator Springs, Mater-National welcomes a new cast of international characters and comes complete with several new tracks, mini-games and 10+ multiplayer games for them to wear their tires on.

Things go ‘vroom this fall.