In Pixar’s Cars, Doc Hudson is the retired race car who becomes Lightning McQueen’s crew chief.
Doc initially dislikes McQueen’s arrogance and refuses to help him prepare for the Piston Cup race. His attitude changes as McQueen begins to respect Radiator Springs and the people who live there. Doc eventually joins McQueen’s team and provides the experience that the inexperienced racer lacks.
Doc’s backstory is one of the film’s major revelations. He was the Fabulous Hudson Hornet, a three-time Piston Cup champion whose career ended after a crash. Although he recovered, racing officials treated him as obsolete and replaced him with younger cars. That history explains his bitterness toward racing and his understanding of the pressures McQueen faces. Doc Hudson is voiced by Paul Newman, whose own association with racing gave the character extra resonance. The character is based on the real Hudson Hornet automobile, a celebrated early-1950s American car.