In Pixar's Cars, what historic highway inspires the road near Radiator Springs?

In Pixar's Cars, the road near Radiator Springs is inspired by U.S. Route 66.

U.S. Route 66 was a major American highway that connected Chicago and Los Angeles after its creation in 1926. It became famous through travel, popular music and roadside businesses, but much of its commercial traffic declined after the Interstate Highway System expanded. Cars uses that history to explain why Radiator Springs has become isolated and overlooked.

The film's setting is not a literal reproduction of one real town. Instead, Pixar combined visual details and stories gathered from communities along the historic route. The result is a fictional desert town filled with roadside architecture, neon signs, motels and landmarks that evoke the culture of old Route 66.

Lightning's detour onto the road begins the film's central transformation. He initially wants to return to the racing circuit immediately, but his time in the town teaches him how the highway and its communities were changed by newer roads.