In Pixar’s Cars, what fictional Arizona town does Lightning McQueen reach after getting lost?

In Pixar’s Cars, Lightning McQueen reaches the fictional Arizona town of Radiator Springs after getting lost.

Lightning accidentally leaves the interstate while traveling to California for the Piston Cup tiebreaker race. He damages Radiator Springs’ main road and is ordered to repair it, keeping him in town long enough to meet its residents and reconsider his priorities.

Radiator Springs is presented as a once-thriving Route 66 community whose fortunes declined after Interstate 40 bypassed it. The town’s setting reflects real communities along historic U.S. Route 66, especially in Arizona and the American Southwest.

The town should not be confused with Carburetor County, the larger fictional county where it is located. Radiator Springs is also the home of characters including Doc Hudson, Sally Carrera, Mater, Luigi, and Guido.