Doc Hudson

Doc Hudson is one of the main protagonists from Disney/Pixar's 2006 film Cars. He was voiced by the late Paul Newman.

Personality
Doc Hudson is generally a stern doctor and judge. His outlook on life changed as a result of his near-fatal crash as the Hudson Hornet where he realized the racing scene wouldn't be there for him forever. Besides leading to his retirement, it also instilled a sense of humility to him as his Piston Cups and the fame that came with it don't really matter to him. The incident has also given him a dislike for race cars, though McQueen's experience in Radiator Springs changes his outlook a little.

Cars
Doc Hudson (voiced by Paul Newman); also known as "Dr. Hudson" or simply "Doc". His license plate reads 51HHMD (a reference to his year and track number (51) model (Hudson Hornet) and profession (medical doctor)). Doc was once known as the Fabulous Hudson Hornet (#51), one of the most famous racecars to have ever lived; he won three Piston Cups, and still holds the record for most wins in a single season (27, a reference to real-life Hornets winning 27 NASCAR races in 1952). All that changed for the famous Hornet when a terrible crash on the track during the final lap of the 1954 Piston Cup championship race saw him put out for the season. Upon his return, he was received with a complete absence of fanfare and told that he was a has-been who had been passed up for the next rookie in line. He kept a newspaper article on the career-ending crash as a reminder never to return to the life that nearly killed him.

Jaded by the racing scene, he left that world, apparently taking out time to study medicine. The famous #51 disappeared into obscurity, leaving many wondering where he had gone. He instead opted for a simple navy blue paint job and the life of a physician in the tiny town of Radiator Springs, the "shining Gemstone" of the Mother Road - Route 66. He runs Doc's Clinic as a "doctor of internal combustion". As times changed and the town got bypassed in favor of Interstate 40, Doc stayed on, even when the population had dwindled to a meager dozen or so residents. He is respected, well-loved, and serves not only as the town's physician, but as its judge as well. However, nobody in the town had any idea of his past as a racer; he was just an ordinary Hudson Hornet to them.

Upon meeting the young hotshot Lightning McQueen, Doc saw far too much of his past in the rookie. He was less than happy when McQueen discovers his past. After McQueen finished fixing the road he damaged and decided to stay for a while, Doc was unable to bear having him around any longer and called the news and press to immediately take him away to the Piston Cup, declaring that it is best for everyone. But seeing how disheartened everyone was by his unplanned departure, Doc realized that McQueen had become more important to them than he thought. He eventually admits the truth to everyone about his Racecar days and he took back his old #51 colors to become McQueen's pit crew chief, bringing nearly the entire town (except Sally, Red, and Lizzy who watch the race on TV) to the Piston Cup to support Lightning as his pit crew (and in an ironic twist of fate, finally received that long awaited fanfare for his return). By the end of the film, Doc opts to keep his racing colors, and becomes a trainer as well as a friend to the young McQueen. Just like McQueen, Doc learned some lessons: friendship, promises, how greed affects others, and that secrets can't be kept forever.

The car is based on the real-life Fabulous Hudson Hornet in NASCAR competition driven by Herb Thomas and Marshall Teague.

Cars 2
Doc won't physically appear in Cars 2. However, it has been confirmed that there will be several tributes in the sequel hinting to him. Also, Doc's clinic was converted into a racing museum after his death, and the Piston Cup is renamed the Hudson Hornet Piston Cup in his honor.

According to story supervisor Nathan Stanton, when Cars 2 takes place, Doc Hudson has passed away. He said : "we felt, after really tooling around with the idea of him being in the film and how do we properly use him, it just felt right that we should have his character have passed away also [as Paul Newman]."

Trivia

 * A blue Hudson Hornet can be seen parked on the street to the left of the screen at the 1:40:31 mark in The Incredibles. Even though Cars was released after The Incredibles, development of Cars was well under way, and this is most likely a reference to Doc Hudson.
 * Doc Hudson is a 1951 Hudson Hornet.
 * The Hudson Hornet was one of the first cars used by drivers in the begining of NASCAR.