In Pixar's Cars, Radiator Springs is based beside U.S. Route 66.
The fictional town is inspired by communities along the historic highway, especially places whose businesses declined after interstate highways redirected long-distance traffic. Cars uses that history to explain why Radiator Springs has become quiet and overlooked before Lightning McQueen arrives.
John Lasseter and other Pixar filmmakers researched Route 66 communities during development. Their trip helped shape the film's desert landscapes, roadside businesses, local personalities, and emphasis on slowing down to appreciate places that travelers once passed through.
Route 66 originally connected Chicago and Santa Monica and became one of the best-known roads in American popular culture. Radiator Springs is fictional rather than a real town, and it is not a direct depiction of one single location. Its setting combines details from several communities along the historic route.