In Pixar’s Cars, the retired racing champion who becomes Lightning McQueen’s mentor is Doc Hudson.
Doc is a 1951 Hudson Hornet and the town’s respected doctor and judge. He initially dislikes McQueen’s arrogance and wants him to leave Radiator Springs as soon as possible.
McQueen eventually learns that Doc was once a major Piston Cup competitor. Doc won three Piston Cups before a crash ended his racing career, after which the racing world largely forgot him.
Doc’s history gives the film its central generational theme. He teaches McQueen about control, patience, and respect, while McQueen’s presence reconnects Doc with racing. Paul Newman supplied Doc’s voice in Cars and Cars Doc Hudson also appears through archival material in Cars 3.