In Pixar’s Cars 3, Smokey teaches Lightning McQueen about racing on dirt.
Lightning meets Smokey in Thomasville after seeking help to regain his competitive edge. Smokey is an old friend and former crew chief of Doc Hudson, the Fabulous Hudson Hornet. He introduces Lightning to lessons from Doc’s racing past and helps him understand that adapting is more valuable than simply trying to match younger cars for speed.
Smokey is voiced by Chris Cooper. His workshop and the Thomasville setting connect the film’s present-day racing story to the older generation of stock-car competition. Smokey’s advice also helps Lightning appreciate Doc’s career as a mentor, not just as a champion.
A common mix-up is naming Doc Hudson, because Doc’s history motivates the Thomasville sequence. Doc is Lightning’s mentor in the first film, but Smokey is the character who directly trains him during Cars 3’s dirt-racing lessons. Louise Nash and Junior “Midnight” Moon are other Thomasville figures, but neither fills Smokey’s role.