Which real racing legend inspired the character Doc Hudson in Pixar's Cars?

Herb Thomas inspired the character Doc Hudson in Pixar's Cars.

Doc Hudson is the fictional Fabulous Hudson Hornet, a champion associated with the early years of NASCAR stock-car racing. His background draws especially on Herb Thomas, who drove Hudson Hornets and won NASCAR's championship in 1951 and 1953. Thomas's success helped make the Hudson Hornet a famous name in American racing history.

The Cars character is not a literal biography of Thomas. Doc combines the Hudson Hornet's racing identity with an invented personal story about retirement, disillusionment, and mentorship. Paul Newman supplied Doc's voice, while the character's car design references the real Hudson Hornet. Richard Petty, Mario Andretti, and Dale Earnhardt are also major racing figures, but none is the specific principal inspiration identified for Doc Hudson. The connection between Doc and Thomas is one of the film's clearest links to real motorsport history.