In Pixar's Cars, what fictional Arizona town does Lightning McQueen accidentally reach?

In Pixar's Cars, Lightning McQueen accidentally reaches the fictional Arizona town of Radiator Springs.

After damaging the road during a nighttime escape, Lightning is separated from the transport truck carrying him to the tiebreaker race. Sheriff finds him and brings him to Radiator Springs, where the local judge, Doc Hudson, orders him to repair the town's main road.

Radiator Springs is presented as a once-thriving Route 66 community. Its decline follows the construction of Interstate 40, which diverts travelers away from the old highway. The town's setting reflects real communities along historic Route 66 that lost traffic after modern highways opened.

The name is sometimes confused with Carburetor County, the fictional county in which the town is located. Radiator Springs is the town itself, while Carburetor County is the wider location.