In Pixar’s Cars 3, Smokey mentors Lightning McQueen in Thomasville.
Smokey is a former mechanic and racing mentor who knew Doc Hudson during Doc’s competitive years. McQueen travels to Thomasville seeking the lessons that helped Doc become a champion, and Smokey explains that Doc’s success came from adapting rather than simply relying on speed.
Smokey helps McQueen understand that racing is influenced by memory, observation, teamwork, and strategy. He also introduces McQueen to a group of older racers whose experiences reconnect the film with the history of stock-car racing. Chris Cooper voices Smokey.
Smokey is not the same character as Doc Hudson, although the two share a close history. Doc is McQueen’s original mentor in the first film, while Smokey becomes the key teacher during McQueen’s comeback in Cars 3. Their relationship gives the third film a direct connection to Doc’s past.