In Pixar’s Cars, what road is Radiator Springs located on?

In Pixar’s Cars, Radiator Springs is located on U.S. Route 66.

The fictional town sits along a forgotten stretch of the historic highway and becomes the place where Lightning McQueen is forced to stop after damaging the road. The town’s decline reflects the impact of Interstate 40, which allows travelers to bypass it.

Pixar’s creators researched Route 66 communities while developing Cars. Locations, roadside businesses, landscapes, and stories from the highway influenced Radiator Springs, though the town itself is fictional. Its characters represent different aspects of American road culture and small-town history.

Route 66 originally connected Chicago and Santa Monica and became one of the best-known highways in the United States. The Cars story uses that historical association to contrast older road travel with faster modern routes. This setting is why Radiator Springs feels like more than an invented backdrop.