Doc Hudson

"They quit on me. When I finally got put together, I went back expecting a big welcome, you know what they said? "You're history"! Moved right on to the next rookie standing in line. There was a lot left in me.. I never got a chance to show 'em." -Doc Hudson, Cars

Doc Hudson, also known as the Hudson Hornet or the Fabulous Hudson Hornet, is a major character in the Cars series. He was a former dirt track racer and Piston Cup legend that served as Radiator Springs' judge and doctor, prior to his death in between the events of Cars: Race-O-Rama and Cars 2.

Why He's a Judge, a "DOC"tor (pun intended), and a Racing Expert, nor a "Crazy Grandpa Car"!

 * 1) He was one of the most likable characters out of all in the film along with Lightning McQueen, Mater, and Sally.
 * 2) He was one of the greatest dirt-track racers of all time, as Darrell Cartrip mentions by McQueen's mentor in Cars 2 (see below).
 * 3) He was certainly exactly the smartest car in Radiator Springs, being its judge, mayor, and doctor. Not only that, but he was the most skilled and talented Piston Cup racer during his time. And to mention, not actually Mater, as said from his page (see his Bad Qualities section).
 * 4) His backstory is genuinely sad; he suffered a big crash in 1954, and had to be taken out of the race. After being fixed, he was rejected because of newer racers, despite still being able to be in the sport. This hit him so hard on the feels that he removed everything racing-related from his life until Lightning showed up in Radiator Springs.
 * 5) While he was initially bitter towards McQueen, he would grow to respect him as a racer, especially after becoming #95's crew chief.
 * 6) There's even other pop-culture: He was so popular that his model, the Hudson Hornet itself, made appearances in two Forza games; first in Forza Motorsport 4, and then re-debuted very soon back in Forza Horizon 4 (except actually a 1952 model year); sadly, it got cut off again for the next fifth game entry (although there has been possible leaks of it in models/screenshots spotted).
 * 7) *It also appears in Driver: San Francisco too as well.
 * 8) *His Fabulous Hudson Hornet paint job and decals also even make a reference with the "Albany Hermes" from Grand Theft Auto V, which is based on a 1949 Mercury Coupe (coincidentally Sheriff's model, another car almost from the early-50s with a very similar design). It reads "Amazing Albany Hermes" instead. But again, also sadly though, if only it was a LOT cleaner, didn't have any rust, it would've been so much more thrilling and perfect. And actually, also, thankfully there is a mod that gives this. It was uploaded on March 31, 2018. A link to it can be found right here.
 * 9) *A mod with his Fabulous Hudson Hornet paint job also even exists for the "Burnside Special" from BeamNG.drive, which is based on a 1953 De Soto Firedome. The mod is called "Cars the movie and the video game skin pack".
 * 10) **But unfortunately, it's outdated today.
 * 11) Paul Newman and Corey Burton both did great jobs voicing him.
 * 12) The scene where he performs only one lap at the Willy's Butte dirt track is certainly his most badass scene, and as well as one of his most memorable moments.
 * 13) Despite not being on very good terms with McQueen initially, he was willing to give him advice about racing in dirt.
 * 14) When he said "there was a lot left in him", he showed several times he wasn't lying: he was able to predict Lightning running into cactuses just by knowing how cocky and unexperienced he was and could easily race against younger and faster racers in the film's tie-in game (although its canonicity is questionable).
 * 15) His engine, which is a 308 cu in (5.0 L) I6, was amazing to listen to in his Willy's Butte race.
 * 16) There hasn't been ONE single part where he was unlikable, nor a case where he was flanderized AT ALL.
 * 17) Good quotes/lines, like for example, "Not all my tricks, rookie!", and "You got a lot of stuff, kid."
 * 18) In the early days of the Piston Cup Racing Series, Doc, then known as the Fabulous Hudson Hornet, was a very popular dirt track racer. He was considered one of the best racers of the time, receiving the title, The Champion of All Time. On the track, He befriended many of his competitors, such as Mario Andretti, Junior Moon, River Scott, and Louise Nash. In addition to being a talented race car, he was also good at making repairs to other cars, and once helped his friend Gus O'Line when he was having trouble with his semi-axis. He was also great friends with a mechanic named Smokey, who acted as a teacher to him. His friends called him "Hud" for short.
 * 19) He was also popular for his unique strategies and abilities. He demonstrated mastery of powersliding, which helped him to navigate dirt turns very smoothly. Once, when a rival forced him up against a wall, he used a flip trick to pull ahead of the rival, allowing him to win the race.
 * 20) He was less than happy when an amazed McQueen discovered his past and asked, "How could a car like you quit at the top of your game?" Doc bitterly admitted that he did not quit, but was forced into retirement after his crash by the rise of hot young racers. "There was a lot left in me," Doc said sadly, "I never got the chance to show them." After McQueen finished fixing the Radiator Springs road that he damaged when arriving in town as part of Doc's court ruling, McQueen decided to stay in town for one extra day, but Doc was unable to bear having him around any longer and called the news and press, prompting McQueen to immediately leave for the Piston Cup championship race in California. After being scolded by Sally for revealing McQueen's location and making him leave out of his dislike of him, Doc realizes that McQueen became more important to them than he thought since he helped them restore the town to its former glory just as they had helped him change his ways and began to regret his actions; he believed the town would be happier without McQueen, but was proven wrong. His racing days are known to the town by now and he took back his #51 racing colors to become McQueen's pit crew chief. Nearly the entire town traveled to California as McQueen's pit crew and cheering section. At the race, the commentators recognized his presence on the cameras and Doc finally received a long-overdue acknowledgment for his return. During the final lap of the race, McQueen uses an old trick he learned from Doc, which immediately puts a smile on Doc's face and it shows he truly learned something from him, to take the lead. When McQueen chose to help an injured Strip Weathers (whom he did not want to suffer the same misfortune Doc did) finish his last race instead of winning the Piston Cup, which is won by an egotistical Chick Hicks (the latter whom ends up being condemned by the media and fans for what he did to Weathers), he smiled once more and expressed how proud he was of Lightning for doing what's right rather than what's important to him.
 * 21) At the end of the film, he kept his racing colors, becoming a trainer and mentor 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 simply can't be hidden forever. When a racing museum subsequently opened in Radiator Springs, one entire wing was devoted to his racing career (with many of Doc's racing equipment and piston cups on display). Much as Junior #8 acknowledged to "The King" that "you've been an inspiration to me", The King indicated "the Hudson Hornet was my inspiration". Together, McQueen and Doc won four consecutive Piston Cups.

Bad Qualities

 * 1) R.I.P.: Of course, sadly he died on September 26th, 2008, coinciding with the death of Paul Newman. However, Pixar actually decided having Doc appear in Cars 2 would not be a good idea. Despite this, the only exceptions are, he still appears in post-2007 Cars-based games after Mater-National Championship, even including the latest Cars 3: Driven to Win, although this was considered to be a continuity error. However, the exception of a game appearance is such as Cars 2: The Video Game. He wasn't mentioned, nor didn't even have a flashback in Cars on the Road.
 * 2) * If Newman was still alive, he would've appeared in later films and other Cars content (although he did appear in a brief flashback in Cars 3) (see below in Trivia).
 * 3) * After his death, it made the next two films basically lose a key part of the franchise.
 * 4) After his racing career ended, he cut contact with his former crew chief Smokey for no good reason until he became Lightning's mentor. In Smokey's words, "son of a gun didn't talk to him for 50 years".
 * 5) *For the same reason, he kept his racing days as a secret from the townies of Radiator Springs for who knows how long.
 * 6) He had a moment of selfishness in the first film, where he informed the press that McQueen was in Radiator Springs and had him be taken by Mack to California when he was having a nice cruise with the townsfolk.

Trivia

 * Doc's racing number, 51, is a reference to the first year of the Hudson Hornet's movement, 1951.
 * A blue Hudson Hornet makes a cameo in The Incredibles, although it was released before Cars. The Hudson Hornet was one of the first cars used by drivers in the beginning of NASCAR. It is most likely possible that this was actually a teaser of Cars coming in the future at that time.
 * The story of the Fabulous Hudson Hornet is true. Many Hornets used in NASCAR at that time actually used that quote on their body paint design. Hudson won the championship from 1952-54.
 * Although Doc's number was 51, there was no actual #51 Fabulous Hudson Hornet.
 * In 2004, Doc Hudson should have owned the number "6".
 * Doc was Paul Newman's last non-documentary role. Also, like Newman, he has blue eyes too.
 * Doc would have appeared in later films had Newman not died.
 * Doc Hudson is the third Cars character whose original actor died, preceded by Red and Fillmore and followed by El Machismo.
 * Both Doc and Stanley are the only two characters in the entire Cars franchise to have died off-screen. with Stanley having died before the events of the first film.
 * Cars: Fast as Lightning features an unlockable building titled the Doc Hudson Statue, a statue of Doc that can be unlocked by unlocking Lightning McQueen.
 * In Cars: Mater-National Championship, he is one of the fastest opponents to catch in Doc and the Law's Race 'n' Chase in Arcade mode. He shares this trait with Sarge and Emma.
 * There is a continuity error regarding Doc's crash. In one of the BOOM! Comics stories, it was said that Doc crashed because Sammy pruned him, which caused Doc to lose control and crash. In Cars 3, Doc accidentally lost control by himself.
 * He is one of the two characters raced against in Cars 3: Driven to Win that is not playable, the other being Bill.
 * Although the reason for Doc not being playable might be due to his death, the races are simulations.
 * Mater and the Ghostlight marks his only short film appearance ever, as he had passed away in the timeline of the other shorts.

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