Doc Hudson is revealed to have won three Piston Cups in Pixar’s Cars.
Before becoming Radiator Springs’ judge and physician, Doc was a celebrated race car known as the Hudson Hornet. He won the Piston Cup in 1951, 1952, and 1953. His racing career ended after a serious crash, followed by an unwanted period of being treated as a forgotten champion.
Doc initially resents Lightning McQueen because the younger car’s arrogance reminds him of the racing world that rejected him. He eventually trains McQueen and becomes a mentor, helping the rookie understand that racing skill is not the same as personal maturity.
Paul Newman voices Doc Hudson in the first Cars film. The character is based on the real Hudson Hornet, a car associated with early stock-car racing success, although Doc’s personal history is fictionalized for the movie.