Doc Hudson is revealed as Lightning McQueen's mentor in Pixar's Cars.
Doc is the town physician and judge in Radiator Springs, but he once raced as the Fabulous Hudson Hornet. The film reveals that he won three Piston Cups before a crash ended his racing career and left him feeling forgotten by the sport.
Doc initially resents Lightning because the rookie's behavior reminds him of the treatment he received after his own accident. Even so, Doc eventually trains Lightning and teaches him that racing depends on more than speed, including control, judgment, and respect for others.
Doc Hudson is modeled on the real Hudson Hornet, a car associated with early stock-car racing success. Paul Newman voiced Doc in Cars; the character's story is handled differently in later films because Newman died in 2008.