In Pixar’s Cars, Paul Newman voices the veteran racer Doc Hudson.
Doc Hudson is the mysterious town doctor of Radiator Springs, where Lightning McQueen is ordered to repair the road after damaging it. His quiet identity is eventually revealed: he was once the famous Fabulous Hudson Hornet, a three-time Piston Cup champion.
The character was Newman’s final major animated-film voice role. Newman had a long racing history outside acting, including professional competition and ownership of a racing team, which made his casting especially fitting. A common mix-up is confusing Doc’s racing number with Lightning McQueen’s: Doc raced as number 51, while Lightning is number 95.
Doc’s backstory also connects Cars’ fictional world with real American stock-car history. The Hudson Hornet was a real automobile known for its “step-down” design and racing success in the early 1950s. The film uses that historical inspiration while making Doc a fictional character within Radiator Springs.