In Pixar’s Cars 3, Smokey mentors Lightning McQueen at the Thomasville dirt track.
Smokey is a former crew chief and mechanic who knew Doc Hudson during Doc’s racing career. Lightning travels to Thomasville with Cruz Ramirez to learn from the veterans who shaped Doc’s technique. Smokey helps Lightning understand that racing knowledge can be passed on even when a driver is no longer competing at the highest level.
Smokey is voiced by Chris Cooper. Doc Hudson himself appears in Cars 3 mainly through memories and archival material because Paul Newman, who voiced Doc, died in 2008. Smokey therefore provides a living connection to Doc’s history without being Doc’s replacement.