Carowinds dumps Earnhardt nickname from roller coaster in favor of new theme

One of Carowinds’ most popular roller coasters is no longer named for a NASCAR legend, but it is keeping an auto racing theme. Still, some fans aren’t happy.

The Intimidator roller coaster, named for the late Dale Earnhardt in 2010, is now called Thunder Striker, Carowinds said on social media Wednesday. “Rev up your engines and get ready to race into an exciting new chapter for one of Carowinds’ iconic attractions,” the park said on its Facebook page, ahead of opening for the season on March 9.

Carowinds’ partnership with Dale Earnhardt Inc. for naming the roller coaster ended Dec. 31, the park said in a statement. Carowinds refused to say why the agreement was not renewed.

“We extend our sincere gratitude and appreciation to DEI for years of a successful partnership,” Carowinds said.

Earnhardt’s wife, Teresa, is chief executive officer of the Mooresville-based company. DEI officials did not respond to a request for comment Thursday. Earnhardt’s sons, former NASCAR drivers Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kerry Earnhardt, also did not respond to requests for comment.

The licensing deal with DEI also included a roller coaster at Kings Dominion in Doswell, Virginia, which is owned by Carowinds’ parent company Cedar Fair of Ohio. Intimidator 305 has been temporarily renamed Project 305.

Along with the new name, the roller coaster’s area at Carowinds is now called Thunder Road, honoring the region’s stock car racing history and cult classic 1958 film “Thunder Road.”

In fact, Carowinds has a history of using the name. A wooden roller coaster called Thunder Road closed in 2015 after nearly 40 years in operation at the park.

Carowinds opens for the season on March 9. The 51-year-old, 400-acre amusement park straddles the North Carolina and South Carolina border in Charlotte and Fort Mill, S.C.

Reaction to roller coaster name change

Reaction to the roller coaster name and theme change was swift on Carowinds’ social media posts.

Many people said they’ll still call it Intimidator, while some said they just don’t like the new name. “The stupidest name you could have picked,” Christina Calhoun Sanchez Rosales said.

Others questioned Carowinds’ choice for the new name. “Why does this scream last-minute decision,” Justin Ducsay said.

“Should have polled the public for a name change. You already have a coaster with ‘Strike’ in the name at the park and Thunder Striker has to be as generic as it gets,” Mike Or said.

Susan Henricks asked: “It honestly makes zero sense…no one is struck by thunder.”

Defending the change

But several people defended, or at least provided understanding, about the new name’s homage to the region’s history.

“The name thunder striker was chosen to pay homage to thunder road,” Derrick Dale Fields said.

“It’s still the same coaster who cares about the name, it got rebranded so what,” Wyatt Solinger said on Facebook.

Others wondered whether more name changes are possible as Cedar Fair and Six Flags expect to complete an $8 billion merger agreement in the first half of this year.

‘Intimidator forever’

Still others lamented losing a name honoring one of the most popular drivers in the history of racing.

“As a season pass holder and lifelong NASCAR fan, this hurts, but I get it was expensive brandin. It’ll always be Intimidator to me,” Tiffany Collins Newtown said on Facebook.

Brandon Ledford said: “Should have kept the name Intimidator, in memory of Dale Earnhardt. That could have been like a permanent memorial for him.” And Courtney Gazda declared: “Intimidator forever.”

What’s in a name?

The use of Earnhardt’s name has disappeared in other areas of the Charlotte region too.

Four years ago, the Kannapolis Class A minor league baseball team decided to drop its name as the Kannapolis Intimidators. Earnhardt was a native of the city. Team officials said they couldn’t build around the Intimidator name because the team didn’t own it. The baseball team is now called Kannapolis Cannon Ballers.

In 2017, a federal appeals court dismissed Teresa Earnhardt’s lawsuit against stepson Kerry Earnhardt’s trademark application for Earnhardt Collection as part of a series of houses built by Schumacher Homes.

The roller coaster’s history

When the Intimidator ride opened at Carowinds, it was the park’s most expensive ride at $23 million, and the highest, fastest and longest roller coaster in the Southeast.

The steel coaster’s peak is 232 feet and its maximum speed is 80 mph during the nearly four-minute ride.

At the time of the opening, Kerry Earnhardt said he was excited by the ride honoring his father and that he would have been the first to ride it, Auto Racing reported.

The name paid tribute to the life and legacy of one of the all-time thrill-seekers. Dale Earnhardt was nicknamed “The Intimidator” because of his aggressive driving style.

The roller coaster’s open-air, stadium-style seating on the trains mirrored Dale Earnhardt’s 1998 RCR No. 3 Chevrolet Monte Carlo, according to Observer archives. And, the ride has seven steep drops, one for each of Earnhardt’s NASCAR championships.

Earnhardt died in a 2001 crash at the Daytona 500 at age 49.

Back in 2011, a Virginia couple got married at the roller coaster followed by a wedding party ride.

The Fury 325 became Carowinds’ largest and fastest ride with speeds of up to 95 mph during its 81-degree plunge when it opened in 2015. Switzerland-based Bolliger & Mabillard designed by both Fury 325 and Intimidator.

Notable ownership, ride changes over the 50-year history of Carowinds amusement park