How realistic is the level of extreme, overt racism in this show?
I'll start off believing that there was overt racism and segregation against black travelers, and it might have been difficult to obtain services in many rural communities. Plus, Sundown Towns were a real phenomenon.
That being said, did any kind of stop immediately result in being chased by armed civilians trying to kill you? I'd guess the most likely phenomenon would have been being just refused service and told to leave town by local police.
I'd also wager that other than stopping for gas, most Blacks wouldn't have even bothered trying to eat in small town diners or gain hotel rooms. They would pack picnic lunches and only stop in larger cities known to have black populations and some kind of safe harbor or hotels known to accept Blacks.
I also thought the trap set by the sheriff near the end of episode 1 was a bit unrealistic. What's he going to do, "I solved the two thefts by executing 3 African Americans in the woods after dark"? I'm not sure its a plausible outcome, even if your county's citizens are racist.
I feel like this show would be actually scarier if the white people were less obviously monsters, and their hostility and violence was much more implied than over-the-top overt. It would make things a lot more chilling and frightening, especially if they segued from "scary, intimidating white cop" to "Lovecraftian monster", making you wonder if there was some literal connection.