In Pixar's Cars 3, Smokey trains Lightning McQueen at the Thomasville track.
Smokey is a former racer and a close friend of Doc Hudson. McQueen travels to Thomasville while searching for a way to compete with Jackson Storm, and Smokey explains how Doc learned to race through observation, patience, and adaptation. The training sessions connect McQueen's present crisis with Doc's earlier career.
Smokey's guidance is not limited to technical speed. He helps McQueen understand that Doc's greatest strength was learning from other racers and from every track he encountered. The lessons also encourage Cruz Ramirez, who begins to recognize her own potential rather than seeing herself only as McQueen's trainer.
Chris Cooper voices Smokey in the English version. The character is distinct from Doc Hudson, Louise Nash, and Junior Moon, all of whom are connected to the older generation of racers shown in the film's flashbacks and stories.