In Pixar's Cars 3, the veteran racer who gives Lightning McQueen advice is Smokey.
Smokey lives in Thomasville and was once the crew chief and mechanic for Doc Hudson. McQueen meets him while searching for a way to compete with Jackson Storm. Smokey helps McQueen understand that racing is not only about speed and that the knowledge gained through a long career can still be valuable.
The Thomasville sequence connects Cars 3 with Doc Hudson's earlier life. Smokey tells McQueen stories about Doc's racing career and introduces him to veteran racers Louise Nash, River Scott, and Junior Moon. Their experiences help McQueen reconsider what his future in racing could be.
Smokey is not the same character as Doc Hudson, who died before the events of Cars 3. Chris Cooper voices Smokey, while Paul Newman provided Doc Hudson's voice in the first Cars film using previously recorded material.