In Pixar's Cars (2006), Radiator Springs sits along Route 66.
The film presents Radiator Springs as a once-thriving roadside town bypassed when Interstate 40 was built. This reflects the real history of many communities along U.S. Route 66, which connected Chicago and Santa Monica and became famous for roadside businesses, motels, diners, and attractions.
Cars uses Route 66 as both a setting and a central theme. Lightning McQueen's accidental detour through the town introduces him to residents whose lives changed after the newer highway diverted traffic away. The story therefore connects the fictional town to the decline of historic American roadside culture.
Route 66 is sometimes called the Mother Road, a nickname popularized by John Steinbeck's 1939 novel The Grapes of Wrath. Although the fictional Radiator Springs is not an exact real town, Pixar drew inspiration from real Route 66 locations and landmarks.