What is the name of the small town where Lightning McQueen stays in Cars?

Radiator Springs is the small town where Lightning McQueen stays in Cars.

After accidentally damaging the road in Radiator Springs, McQueen is ordered to repair it before leaving. His forced stay introduces him to Doc Hudson, Sally Carrera, Mater, and the town’s other residents. The experience changes his priorities before the Piston Cup finale.

Radiator Springs is presented as a once-thriving roadside community on U.S. Route 66. Its decline follows the construction of a faster interstate route that bypasses the town. The film uses this fictional place to reflect the real history of many Route 66 communities.

The town’s name refers to automobile radiators, but it is not a real municipality. Pixar created it as a composite inspired by places and landscapes encountered during research trips along Route 66, especially in the American Southwest.