Thunder Striker
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Thunder Striker
Thunder Striker, formerly known as Intimidator, is a hypercoaster located at Carowinds in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States. Built by Bolliger & Mabillard and located in the Thunder Road section of the park, the ride opened to public on March 27, 2010. It features a lift hill, a top speed of , and a track length of . The roller coaster was originally named after NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt, who was nicknamed "the Intimidator." Following the expiring of a license agreement with Earnhardt's estate in December 2023, Cedar Fair renamed the coaster Thunder Striker for the 2024 season. History Construction on Intimidator began during the summer of 2009 with land clearing and footings being constructed. Track pieces first began to arrive at Carowinds on August 7, 2009. About three weeks later, on August 26, 2009, Carowinds officially announced Intimidator. Along with the announcement, Carowinds reached a licensing agreement with Dale Earnhardt, Inc. to use the late NASCAR ...
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Hyper Coaster
A hypercoaster is a roller coaster with a height or drop measuring at least . The term was first coined by Arrow Dynamics and Cedar Point in 1989 with the opening of the world's first hypercoaster, Magnum XL-200, which features a height of . The next hypercoaster, Pepsi Max Big One, opened five years later at Blackpool Pleasure Beach featuring a height of . Other roller coaster manufacturers may or may not recognize the term ''hypercoaster'' when naming their models. Intamin calls their hypercoaster model a Mega Coaster, and Bolliger & Mabillard labels theirs a Hyper Coaster. The competition between amusement parks to build increasingly taller roller coasters eventually led to the next height classification for roller coasters known as giga coasters, which have a height or drop measuring at least . This was soon followed by the world's first strata coasters – exceeding – with the release of Top Thrill Dragster in 2003. History The world's first hypercoaster was Magnum XL-200 ...
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The Charlotte Observer
''The Charlotte Observer'' is an American newspaper serving Charlotte, North Carolina, and its metro area. The Observer was founded in 1886. it has the second-largest circulation of any newspaper in the Carolinas. It is owned by Chatham Asset Management. Overview ''The Observer'' primarily serves Charlotte and Mecklenburg County and the surrounding counties of Iredell, Cabarrus, Union, Lancaster, York, Gaston, Catawba, and Lincoln. Home delivery service in outlying counties has declined in recent years, with delivery times growing later as the paper has outsourced circulation services outside the primary Charlotte area. Circulation at ''The Charlotte Observer'' has been declining for many years. The period of May 2011 showed that ''Charlotte Observer'' circulation totaled 155,497 daily and 212,318 Sunday. 2017 Print Circulation Daily: 69,987 and Sunday: 106,434. The newspaper has an online presence and its staff also oversees a NASCAR news website, and a correspondin ...
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Roller Coasters In South Carolina
Roller may refer to: Birds *Roller, a bird of the family Coraciidae * Roller (pigeon), a domesticated breed or variety of pigeon Devices * Roller, an element of a rolling-element bearing * Roller, used in rolling (metalworking) * Roller, in a roller mill, to crush or grind various materials * Roller, or training surcingle, around a horse's girth * Roller (agricultural tool), a non-powered tool for flattening ground * Roller (BEAM), a robot * Rolling pin, a compacting device used for preparing dough for cooking * Bicycle rollers, a type of bicycle trainer * Foam roller, therapeutic exercise device * Hair roller, used to curl hair * Paint roller, a paint application tool * Road roller, a vehicle for compacting ** Steamroller, a form of road roller Arts and entertainment * Bay City Rollers, or the Rollers, a Scottish pop rock band * " The Roller", a 2011 song by Beady Eye * "Roller" (Apache 207 song), 2019 * "Roller" (April Wine song), 1978 * ''Roller'' (Goblin album), 197 ...
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Hypercoasters Manufactured By Bolliger & Mabillard
A hypercoaster is a roller coaster with a height or drop measuring at least . The term was first coined by Arrow Dynamics and Cedar Point in 1989 with the opening of the world's first hypercoaster, Magnum XL-200, which features a height of . The next hypercoaster, Pepsi Max Big One, opened five years later at Blackpool Pleasure Beach featuring a height of . Other roller coaster manufacturers may or may not recognize the term ''hypercoaster'' when naming their models. Intamin calls their hypercoaster model a Mega Coaster, and Bolliger & Mabillard labels theirs a Hyper Coaster. The competition between amusement parks to build increasingly taller roller coasters eventually led to the next height classification for roller coasters known as giga coasters, which have a height or drop measuring at least . This was soon followed by the world's first strata coasters – exceeding – with the release of Top Thrill Dragster in 2003. History The world's first hypercoaster was Magnum XL-200 ...
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Golden Ticket Award For Best New Ride
The Golden Ticket Awards, Golden Ticket Award for Best New Ride is presented by Amusement Today to the best new attraction in the water parks, water park industry. The award was presented for best new attraction in both water parks and amusement parks since its inception in 2005 until 2018. History The Golden Ticket Awards have been presenting awards since 1998 acknowledging amusement and water parks for their achievement in different categories. The Best New Ride award was introduced in the form of two different awards to acknowledge the best in amusement and water parks. The award has been presented since 2005 and has been featured on the Discovery Channel and the Travel Channel. In 2019, the amusement park award was split into three categories. The overall award was renamed to ''Best New Attraction Installation of 2019'', with "industry suppliers and parks hav[ing] direct involvement with nominations". The ''Best New Family Attraction'' and ''Golden Ticket Award for Best New ...
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Golden Ticket Awards
''Amusement Today'' is a monthly periodical that features articles, news, pictures and reviews about all things relating to the amusement park industry, including parks, List of amusement rides, rides, and ride manufacturers. The trade newspaper, which is based in Arlington, Texas, United States, was founded in January 1997 by Gary Slade, Virgil E. Moore III and Rick Tidrow. In 1997, ''Amusement Today'' won the Impact Award in the services category for "Best New Product" from the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA). A year later, in 1998, the magazine founded the Golden Ticket Awards, for which it has become best known for throughout the amusement park industry. On January 2, 2001, Slade bought out his two partners, giving him sole ownership of the paper. The paper has two full-time and two part-time staff members at its Arlington office, along with two full-time writers and several freelance writers in various parts of the world. Golden Ticket ...
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Intimidator Entrance Sign
An intimidator is a person who employs intimidation. (The) Intimidator(s) may also refer to: Nickname for Dale Earnhardt "(The) Intimidator" was a nickname of NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt (1951-2001). *Intimidator (roller coaster), at Carowinds amusement park * Intimidator 305, former name of a roller coaster at Kings Dominion amusement park *Kannapolis Intimidators, a minor-league baseball team which Earnhardt owned at the time of his death ** Intimidators Stadium, the home venue of the baseball team * Chevrolet Silverado Intimidator SS, a 2006 special edition of the Siliverado SS pickup truck line Books * ''The Intimidators ''The Intimidators'' was the fifteenth novel in the Matt Helm secret agent novel series by Donald Hamilton. It was first published in 1974. Plot summary Despite the internal politics of '' The Intriguers'', Matt Helm (code name Eric) still fin ...'', a 1974 novel by Donald Hamilton, fifteenth in the Matt Helm secret agent novel series Other uses ...
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Copperhead Strike
Copperhead Strike is a double launched roller coaster at Carowinds in Charlotte, North Carolina. Manufactured by Mack Rides, the ride debuted to the public on March 23, 2019. It opened as the headlining attraction of a new themed area, Blue Ridge Junction, which is located on the South Carolina side of the park. The ride is the first multi-launched roller coaster to open at the park, and the second launched coaster after White Lightnin' (now Golden Loop at Gold Reef City). Carowinds held a private event for media and special guests on March 21, 2019. History Whitewater Falls, a Hopkins Rides shoot-the-chutes water attraction opened in 1988, closed at the end of the 2016 season. No official reasoning was given by the park for the closure of the ride, and the ride remained standing but not operating throughout the 2017 season until it was removed. In 2018, Carowinds began teasing a new attraction for the area formerly home to Whitewater Falls. On August 30, 2018, Carowinds officiall ...
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Lap Bar
A roller coaster train is a vehicle made up of two or more carts connected by specialized joints which transports passengers around a roller coaster's circuit. Roller coasters usually have various safety features, including specialized wheels and restraints. It is called a train because the carts follow one another around the track, the same reason as for a railroad train. Individual carts vary in design and can carry from one to eight or more passengers each. Operation Many roller coasters operate more than one train, sometimes several, simultaneously. Typically they operate two trains at a time, with one train loading and unloading while the other train runs the course. On the Rock 'n' Roller Coaster at Walt Disney World, for example, there are five trains, but only four operate at a time (the trains are rotated out on a regular basis for safety reasons). Basic safety features Wheels Roller coaster trains have wheels that run on the sides ( side friction or guide wheels) ...
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Richard Childress Racing
Richard Childress Racing (RCR) is an American professional stock car racing team that currently competes in the NASCAR Cup Series and the NASCAR Xfinity Series. The team is based in Welcome, North Carolina, and is owned and operated by Richard Childress. In the Cup Series, the team currently fields three Chevrolet Camaro (sixth generation)#ZL1, Chevrolet Camaro ZL1s: the No. 3 full-time for Austin Dillon, the No. 8 full-time for Kyle Busch, as well as the No. 33 part-time for multiple drivers. In the Xfinity Series, the team currently fields four Chevrolet Camaro teams: the No. 2 full-time for Jesse Love, the No. 3 part time for Austin Dillon, the No. 21 full-time for Austin Hill, and the No. 33 part-time for Kasey Kahne. RCR has had at least one car successfully qualify for every Cup race since 1972 NASCAR Winston Cup Series, 1972, the longest such active streak, and is known for the longstanding use of the number 3 on its primary race car. In addition to its in-house Cup Serie ...
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Brake Run
A brake run on a roller coaster is any section of track that utilizes some form of brakes to slow or stop a roller coaster train. There are various types of braking methods employed on roller coasters, including friction brakes, skid brakes, and magnetic brakes. The most common is a fin brake, an alternative name for a friction brake, which involves a series of hydraulic-powered clamps that close and squeeze metal fins that are attached to the underside of a coaster train. Roller coasters may incorporate multiple brake runs throughout the coaster's track layout to adjust the train's speed at any given time. The different types of brake runs are classified under two main categories: trim brakes and block brakes. A trim brake refers to a braking section that slows a train, while a block brake has the ability to stop a train completely in addition to slowing it down. Block brakes are important to roller coasters that operate more than one train simultaneously, in the event that on ...
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Chain Lift Hill
A lift hill, or chain hill, is an upward-sloping section of track on a roller coaster on which the roller coaster train is mechanically lifted to an elevated point or peak in the track. Upon reaching the peak, the train is then propelled from the peak by gravity and is usually allowed to coast throughout the rest of the roller coaster ride's circuit on its own momentum, including most or all of the remaining uphill sections. The initial upward-sloping section of a roller coaster track is usually a lift hill, as the train typically begins a ride with little speed, though some coasters have raised stations that permit an initial drop without a lift hill. Although uncommon, some tracks also contain multiple lift hills. Lift hills usually propel the train to the top of the ride via one of two methods: a chain lift involving a long, continuous chain which trains hook on to and are carried to the top; or a drive tire system in which multiple motorized tires (known as friction wheel ...
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