In Pixar’s Cars, Doc Hudson is the former racing car who becomes Radiator Springs’ doctor.
Doc is revealed to have been the Fabulous Hudson Hornet, a champion stock car whose racing career ended after a serious crash. He later settles in Radiator Springs and serves as the town’s medical doctor and judge. His quiet life changes when Lightning McQueen arrives and causes trouble.
Doc’s history reflects the real Hudson Hornet, a car associated with NASCAR success in the early 1950s. The Fabulous Hudson Hornet won three NASCAR championships: Herb Thomas won in 1951 and 1953, while Tim Flock won in 1952. Pixar adapts that history into Doc’s fictional biography.
Paul Newman provided Doc’s voice in Cars. Doc’s character therefore connects the film’s imagined vehicle community with a real American racing legacy, rather than being merely an elderly local car.