In Pixar's Cars, the setting around Radiator Springs was inspired by historic U.S. Route 66.
Route 66 once connected Chicago and Santa Monica, crossing several states and becoming one of the best-known roads in American popular culture. The highway is associated with roadside businesses, motels, diners, and small communities that depended on passing travelers.
Cars uses that history to explain Radiator Springs. The town loses most of its traffic after a faster interstate bypass is built, leaving its businesses and residents isolated. Lightning McQueen's accidental arrival gives the town a chance to be noticed again.
The fictional town is not a direct copy of one real place. Pixar artists and filmmakers studied Route 66 communities during research trips, drawing on landscapes and landmarks from the American Southwest. Route 66 was officially removed from the U.S. Highway System in 1985, but surviving stretches remain important tourist destinations.