In Pixar’s Cars, which highway inspired the film’s fictional road setting?

U.S. Route 66 inspired the fictional road setting of Pixar’s Cars.

The film places Radiator Springs along a fictionalized stretch of Route 66, the historic highway that once connected Chicago and Santa Monica. Route 66 became famous through its role in migration, tourism, roadside commerce, and popular culture, but many towns along it declined after newer interstate highways diverted traffic.

That history shapes the film’s central setting. Radiator Springs was once a busy stop for travelers, but it loses customers when Interstate 40 bypasses the town. Lightning McQueen’s arrival brings attention back to the community, while the story celebrates the people and places left behind by changing transportation patterns.

Pixar filmmakers researched Route 66 in person and drew visual inspiration from real landmarks and towns. The movie does not depict one exact real location, so answers such as Interstate 40 describe the cause of the town’s decline rather than the highway that inspired its setting.