New Roller Coaster to be named after Dale Earnhardt
 |
Called “The Intimidator", the new 232-ft-tall coaster will be the tallest attraction roller coaster at the park, bringing the park’s total number of roller coasters to 13.
The Intimidator, a nick-name Earnhardt was famous for, will three trains with eight cars each, with the cars made to resemble Earnhardt’s famous no. 3 Chevrolet race car. The ride’s entrance will also feature a checkered-flag motif as well as several no. 3 replica show cars.
The ride will also feature seven hills – a tribute to Earnhardt’s seven championships – and each ride will last 3:33, in honor of Earnhardt’s famous no. 3.
“Wow, this is exciting," said Dale’s son Kerry Earnhardt. “To have the Southeast’s largest roller coaster named ‘The Intimidator,’ named after dad and to have it here in the Carolinas is pretty awesome. I guarantee you dad would have been the first one to try it out."
The attraction marks a $23 million dollar investment for owner Cedar Fair Entertainment Company, which purchased Carowinds from Paramount Parks in 2006.
08/21/09 The most exciting ride in Kings Dominion's 35-year history will debut in the spring of 2010, as the amusement park introduces a mammoth 5,100-foot long steel Giga-coaster. Intimidator 305 takes it name from one of stock car racing's most beloved and tenacious drivers, Dale Earnhardt, "the Intimidator" along with the height of the coaster's lift hill, 305 feet. Intimidator 305, only the second Giga-coaster ever built in North America, will be the tallest and fastest roller coaster of its type on the East Coast. The lift hill will stand a towering 305 feet at its highest peak; descend 300 feet at an 85 degree-angle and thunder along the track at speeds in excess of 90 miles per hour during its three minute race to the finish.
The trains, fashioned after Dale Earnhardt's signature black car, will roar through six airtime humps plus three high-speed turns and the experience will have guests screaming for another lap around the track. Intimidator 305 will be located in the park's Congo section and becomes Kings Dominion's 15th World-class roller coaster. Those who cannot wait until 2010 may take a virtual ride on Intimidator 305, access exclusive updates, features, virtual renderings, ride statistics, and more at www.intimidator305.com. Intamin AG of Wollerau, Switzerland, a recognized industry leader in roller coaster development, designed Intimidator 305. The ride is scheduled to open in the spring of 2010. Victory Management Group