In Pixar’s Cars, Lightning McQueen becomes stranded after leaving Interstate 40.
McQueen is being transported toward California when he falls from Mack’s trailer during the night. He later reaches the road and accidentally damages the surface of a small town’s main street while trying to escape. The story then centers on the consequences of that mistake and his forced stay in Radiator Springs.
Interstate 40 is a real transcontinental highway that runs across the southern United States. In Arizona and California, it replaced or bypassed sections of the historic U.S. Route 66, an important inspiration for the film’s desert-town setting. The movie uses this real road context to connect the fictional town with changing American travel patterns.
The highway should not be confused with Route 66, which is the historic road strongly associated with Radiator Springs but is not the interstate McQueen is traveling on when the story begins.