Thunder Road (roller coaster)

Defunct wooden roller coaster at Carowinds

Thunder Road was a wooden roller coaster located at Carowinds amusement park on the border between Fort Mill, South Carolina, and Charlotte, North Carolina. In February 1976, Carowinds announced that the ride would be named Thunder Road. It was named and originally themed after the 1958 movie, Thunder Road. The attraction officially opened to the public on April 3, 1976. NASCAR celebrities Bobby Allison and David Pearson, along with major newspapers from around the country, were at Carowinds for the grand opening. Thunder Road was originally painted red, white, and blue. Two moonshine stills were originally placed at the entrance but have since been removed.

The ride originally featured trains from the Jetstream, a roller coaster at Chicago's defunct Riverview Park. For use on Thunder Road, the trains were themed to resemble a Sheriff's car and an Outlaw's car to fit the coaster's original theme. The Riverview trains were retired in 1980 and replaced with new, higher capacity Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters trains the next year. Thunder Road's trains all faced forward until one side was reversed in 1995 to run backwards. During the 1995 1996 off season, the air conditioners and decorative memorabilia in the waiting area were removed. The ride got a new entrance sign in 1996 with the "Fast as Lighting" slogan.

Beginning in 2015, Carowinds was planning a $50 million expansion. The expansion included Fury 325, new entrances, SlingShot and other new investments. Officials were also looking to expand the water park the following year. In order for this to happen, Thunder Road would have to close down. On May 23, 2015, the park announced that Thunder Road would be closed permanently. The final day of Thunder Road took place July 26, 2015 with a farewell celebration. The first 100 riders would receive a free commemorative Thunder Road poster and button. Fans created a tribute video by sharing their favorite Thunder Road memories. Submitting pictures also entered them into a random drawing from exclusive Thunder Road memorabilia. The winner prizes included a ride on the last train, free tickets and wooden pieces from the ride. By August, Thunder Road was swiftly demolished. Cedar Fair donated the ride's components to The Racer at Kings Island and Rebel Yell at Kings Dominion. Tributes to Thunder Road can be found in the Blue Ridge Junction section. There is a poster in the Blue Ridge Country Kitchen restaurant that says Thunder Road Dragway. The poster has a list of numerous sponsors. One tagline from the ride is "Grit Your Teeth", which was the sign riders saw while ascending the lift hill. The others are "Bear The Load" and "Enjoy your ride on Thunder Road". Plus, the station of Copperhead Strike contains a Centurion Motor Oil mural that pays tribute to Thunder Road and White Lightnin'. Thunder Striker also pays homage to the defunct coaster.

Thunder Road featured a doubled layout with twin trains that ran simultaneously, each on one of the two separate, mirrored tracks. As the trains left the station, they embarked on a gentle downward turn in opposite directions that went out under the brake run. Both tracks met back up to ascend the chain lift hill 93 feet (28 m). As the trains climbed side by side, riders passed five sequential signs posted between the two tracks that together read: "Grit your teeth / Bear the load / Enjoy your ride / On Thunder Road / Burma Shave." The trains "raced" down the initial drop of 88 feet (27 m) and over several medium sized air time hills before entering the turnaround section of the track farthest from the station. There the tracks diverged outward, and each train circled back independently toward the station, traveling across more small air time hills and into the final tunnel covered hill. Exiting the tunnel, the tracks converged again at last as they reached the final brake run back into the station. From 1996, on the 20th anniversary of the opening, until 2008, one of the tracks had the coaster cars facing backwards. On April 5, 1999, a train collided with another, leaving seven people injured. Sensors on the ride were then replaced, opening the ride again.