Beloved Carowinds Coaster Intimidator Getting A New Name
A Carowinds favorite is getting some new signage. One of the most popular roller coasters in the park Intimidator is getting a new name. The tallest, fastest, longest hypercoaster in the Southeast will now go by a different name- Thunder Striker. In my opinion, you can change the name on signs but it will take years to change the name in conversation. The Park hasn’t been affiliated with Paramount since 2006. 18 years later I refuse to call that blue and silver coaster anything but Top Gun. It will always be Top Gun to me, not Afterburn.
Carowinds made this announcement today on social media with a video (seen below). The name while keeping with the racing theme of the coaster, also seems to be a nod to the now defunct, once iconic, Thunder Road coaster. One I personally appreciate. Though a second wave pool was not worth that loss and I stand by that to this day. Here is the description/backstory posted about the coaster on the Carowinds website:
Thunder Striker was built in the back of Earl’s Garage on Thunder Road. Master mechanics stripped down the old jalopy and scrounged up parts to create a souped-up engine that’s optimized for pure speed.
Now Thunder Striker is the champion of the dirt road racers. The fastest, meanest hot rod in two states. Lucky visitors to Earl’s might get to hop in the sleek, black-bodied roadster with signature lightning bolts painted on the hood. They’ll surely get the ride of a lifetime—a high-fuel, high-thrill spin through the Carolinas.
Unpopular opinion but I’ve always liked this ride better than the park’s marquee coaster Fury 325. So while I may spend the next 20 years still referring to it as the Intimidator and not its new name Thunder Striker, I will certainly be riding it.
All 13 Of Carowinds Roller Coasters Ranked
August 16th is National Roller Coaster Day. And here in the Carolinas, yes both Carolinas, we are lucky enough to have some incredible roller coasters. As a kid who loved thrill rides, I used to dream of going to Cedar Point one day to ride some of the world’s best coasters. Little did I know that Cedar Point’s parent company, Cedar Fair, would purchase Carowinds years later and start to bring those world-class roller coasters to my own backyard. Pretty fun right? Since Cedar Fair took over the park we’ve seen lots of changes. These include a water park expansion, fair-type rides, and of course new record-breaking coasters.
And they really have put Carowinds on the map. The last time I was there, there was actually a huge group of roller coaster enthusiasts from around the world that came here specifically to go to Carowinds. It has become a destination theme park. Which is pretty cool and great for the economy in both of the Carolinas. But back to the coasters at Carowinds. Counting kiddie coasters there are 13 roller coasters in the park. Some have been there since I was a kid, and others are relatively new. The newest coaster Carowinds has is Copperhead Strike a launch coaster which numerous inversions that opened in March of 2019.
A few of my rankings you may not agree with, and that’s ok this is just my personal opinion as someone who has grown up in Charlotte and gone to Carowinds a fair number of times. I don’t frequent that often anymore, maybe once a year if friends want to go, but I’ll always love getting on my favorite rides. So keep reading to see all 13 of Carowinds’ roller coasters ranked. Want to see a full ranking on every ride open in 2022 at Carowinds? You can read that here.
Melanie Day is a graduate of North Carolina State University. She has worked for Beasley since 2012 in a variety of behind-the-scenes roles in both digital and promotions. Melanie writes about a diverse range of topics some of her favorites include travel, restaurants, Taylor Swift, and college athletics. When not at work you'll find her at a country concert or NC State sporting event.
