Doc Hudson is the former racer whose training shapes Lightning McQueen in Pixar’s Cars 3 backstory.
Doc was the Hudson Hornet who won three Piston Cups before a crash ended his racing career. In the first Cars movie, he lives in Radiator Springs as the town’s doctor and judge, initially hiding his championship past from Lightning. He eventually becomes Lightning’s crew chief and mentor.
Cars 3 explores Doc’s influence through memories, photographs, and conversations about his racing life. Lightning seeks advice from people who knew Doc, including Smokey, hoping to recover the confidence and judgment that made Doc successful. Doc’s history helps explain why the film treats Lightning’s career as part of a longer racing tradition.
Smokey is Doc’s former crew chief and an important source of information, but he is not the racer whose career is being revisited. Louise Nash and Junior Moon are other veteran racers connected to Doc’s past.