In Pixar’s Cars, Interstate 40 caused Radiator Springs to lose most of its traffic. The highway bypassed the town’s stretch of Route 66 and redirected travelers away from its businesses.
Sally Carrera explains the town’s history to Lightning McQueen during the film. Before the interstate opened, Radiator Springs benefited from motorists traveling the older road. Once drivers could use the faster highway, the town’s traffic and commercial activity declined sharply.
The story draws on the real history of Route 66 communities in the United States. Interstate 40 replaced or bypassed substantial portions of the old route, especially in the Southwest. Pixar’s fictional Radiator Springs is not a real town, but its economic decline is based on a recognizable pattern from American transportation history.