Carowinds closing Thunder Road roller coaster; last ride July 26
Thunder Road, one of the classic Carowinds’ roller coasters, is gearing up for its final ride.
After 39 years and nearly 40,000,000 scream-filled rides, the wooden racer will carry its last guests July 26. The ride is being retired to make room for future park growth, park officials said. The growth is part of a more than $50 million multi-year investment plan which included the new Fury 325, the world’s tallest and fastest giga coaster which opened this season.
The ride was named after the 1958 movie, Thunder Road, which featured Robert Mitchum.
The rollder coaster has twin, parallel racing trains which reach speeds of up to 45 mph. The coaster races in and out of North and South Carolina.
Guests have until July 26 at 10 p.m. to take part in the Thunder Road celebration.
Thunder Road Fun Facts
▪ Thunder Road was built using 539,000 feet of treated wood at a cost of $1.6 million.
▪ Thunder Road is modeled after the Racer, another classic wooden racing coaster at sister park Kings Island in Ohio.
▪ Thunder Road was originally covered in 5,500 gallons of red, white and blue paint.
▪ From 1995 to 2008, one of the trains faced backward giving riders an even greater thrill.
This story was originally published May 23, 2015 at 3:07 PM with the headline "Carowinds closing Thunder Road roller coaster; last ride July 26."