In Pixar’s Cars, Lightning McQueen accidentally damages Radiator Springs before helping rebuild it.
After falling from Mack’s trailer, Lightning reaches the nearly deserted Route 66 town while trying to find his way to California. A chase with local residents ends with him damaging the road, and the town’s judge orders him to repair it.
Radiator Springs is fictional, but its setting reflects historic U.S. Route 66 communities and the decline caused by interstate highways. The town becomes central to Lightning’s change from an arrogant rookie into a cooperative racer. It is sometimes confused with Carburetor County, the fictional county where the town is located.