In Pixar's Cars 3, Lightning McQueen visits Smokey for advice about training.
Smokey is a former racer who lives in Thomasville, a town connected to Doc Hudson's past. Lightning travels there with Cruz Ramirez after struggling to keep pace with Jackson Storm. Smokey and the other retired racers help Lightning understand how Doc developed his racing ability and why personal experience mattered more than simply copying modern technology.
Smokey becomes a mentor figure and preserves stories about Doc that Lightning had never heard. His guidance helps Lightning reconnect with the older racer's legacy while also recognizing Cruz's potential.
Smokey is not one of the main Radiator Springs residents from the first film. He is introduced in Cars 3 as part of the Thomasville sequence. That setting and his connection to Doc make him distinct from Tex Dinoco, a business figure, and Sally Carrera, Lightning's longtime friend.