In Pixar's Cars, Doc Hudson was a three-time Piston Cup champion.
Doc is introduced as the physician and judge of Radiator Springs, but his past is gradually revealed. He was once the Fabulous Hudson Hornet, a celebrated racer who won three Piston Cups in the early 1950s. A crash ended his racing career, and he became bitter after the racing world quickly moved on without him.
Doc's history explains his initial hostility toward Lightning McQueen. Lightning reminds him of the talented but reckless racers who treated older competitors as obsolete. Through their work repairing Radiator Springs' road, Doc begins mentoring Lightning and eventually returns to the racing world as his crew chief.
The character is based on the real Hudson Hornet, a car associated with early stock-car racing success. Doc is voiced by Paul Newman, whose final feature-film voice role was in Cars. The Fabulous Hudson Hornet is distinct from The King, who is a later-generation Piston Cup champion.