Giving McQueen some space because Doc left a huge impact on the rest of McQueen's life. He taught him to respect those older and more experienced than him, taught him the value of sportsmanship, friendship, and that no one goes through life as a one man show, as McQueen claimed he was before getting lost in Radiator Springs. When the small town showed up to be his pit crew, it struck a chord with the then rookie racer. This was a lesson from Doc to McQueen about dedication, friendship, loyalty, and remembering those who helped him along the way. When Doc passed, no one in that small town got hit as hard as McQueen, because of said impact on his life through the rest of the trilogy. I'm tearing up as I write this because the first one was the movie that boosted my interest in country music and is a very impactful one in my personal life.
