In Pixar's Cars, what is the name of the road that Lightning McQueen damages?

The story behind the answer

In Pixar's Cars, Lightning McQueen damages Route 66 while passing through Radiator Springs.

The road is the historic U.S. Route 66, famous for linking Chicago and Santa Monica. In the film, Lightning tears up the town's main road while fleeing from local law enforcement. A judge orders him to repair the damage before he can continue to California.

Route 66 is especially important to the film's visual identity. Pixar's artists traveled along the historic highway and drew inspiration from its roadside businesses, desert scenery and small communities. The story uses the road's decline after the construction of Interstate 40 as background for Radiator Springs' isolation.

The highway in the movie is fictionalized in places, but the Route 66 reference is real. Interstate 40 is a newer highway that bypasses many former Route 66 communities, so it is a related road rather than the damaged road named in the question.

Source: Wikipedia · fact-checked Oct. 2026

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