Doc Hudson is the retired Hudson Hornet who mentors Lightning McQueen in Pixar’s Cars.
Doc is the town doctor and judge of Radiator Springs, but he once had a celebrated racing career. He won three Piston Cups before a crash ended his competitive career and left him bitter about how quickly the racing world moved on.
Lightning’s forced stay in Radiator Springs gradually reveals Doc’s history. Doc initially dislikes the rookie racer’s arrogance, yet he eventually agrees to train Lightning and helps him understand racing as more than speed and publicity. Their relationship becomes one of the film’s central emotional arcs.
Doc Hudson is modeled on the Hudson Hornet, a real American automobile associated with the early 1950s and with NASCAR history. Paul Newman provided Doc’s voice in Cars. The character’s racing record and mentor role are distinct from the later story of Lightning’s own Piston Cup career.