Which former racing champion is revealed to be Doc Hudson in Pixar’s Cars?

Doc Hudson is revealed to be the Fabulous Hudson Hornet in Pixar’s Cars.

Before becoming Radiator Springs’ doctor and judge, Doc was a celebrated race car. He won three Piston Cups and became known as the Fabulous Hudson Hornet, a name based on the real Hudson Hornet’s racing reputation.

Doc’s career ended after a crash and a long recovery. When he returned to racing, newer cars and the press treated him as obsolete. He eventually left the sport and settled in Radiator Springs.

The character combines fictional biography with real automotive history. The Hudson Hornet was a real American car that achieved important stock-car victories in the early 1950s. Doc’s identity is not The King, who is a separate veteran racer voiced by Richard Petty.