Doc Hudson is the retired racing champion who becomes Radiator Springs’ doctor in Pixar’s Cars.
Doc initially appears to be a stern local physician who wants Lightning McQueen to leave town. Later, the film reveals that he was once the Fabulous Hudson Hornet, a celebrated racer and three-time Piston Cup champion. A serious crash ended his racing career, and the racing world moved on without him.
His history explains both his resentment toward McQueen’s celebrity-focused attitude and his eventual decision to mentor the younger car. Doc’s story gives the film a link to real American stock-car racing, especially the historic Hudson Hornet automobile.
Paul Newman voiced Doc Hudson in the first Cars film. Newman was himself a well-known racing enthusiast and competed professionally, which made the casting especially notable. Doc does not appear as an active speaking character in Cars 2, because Newman died in 2008; Cars 3 uses archival material from the first film for Doc’s voice.