In Pixar's Cars, Lightning McQueen accidentally damages Radiator Springs before becoming its unlikely guest.
While racing across the United States to reach the tiebreaker race for the Piston Cup, McQueen becomes separated from his transport truck, Mack. He enters Route 66, is pursued by police, and tears up Radiator Springs's main road while trying to escape. The town's residents persuade the local judge, Doc Hudson, to make him repair the road as punishment.
Radiator Springs is a fictional desert community inspired by historic Route 66 towns. Its residents include Mater, Sally Carrera, Flo, Ramone, and Luigi. The story uses the town's decline after Interstate 40 diverted traffic as part of its emotional setting.
A common mix-up is calling Radiator Springs a race track or a real Arizona town. It is the fictional community where much of the first film takes place.