Top Thrill Dragster

According to Rob Decker, Vice President of Planning and Design, the park began working on a new project shortly after the debut of Millennium Force in 2000.[3] After the 2001 season ended, a Dodgem ride across from Magnum XL-200's entrance was relocated to Michigan's Adventure to clear the way for the new ride. In April 2002, work began on the concrete foundation.[4] The concrete footings were kept hidden behind a fence when the park opened for the 2002 season.[5] In August, an informal announcement from Cedar Point confirmed the park was building a new ride for the 2003 season.[6] Track pieces identified as Intamin were previously spotted near Mean Streak.[6] Vertical construction by Martin & Vleminckx[7] began in the fall season, months before the formal announcement.[8] By October, the roller coaster had reached 200 feet (61 m) in height,[9] and the highest peak was topped off in December.[10] To construct the roller coaster, the park used five cranes, two of which were 480-foot (150 m) tall.

At the time, only four such cranes in the United States were tall enough to handle construction of the 420-foot tower section.[11] An official announcement revealing details on the new ride was made the following month on January 9, 2003.[8] Officials for the park stated the goal was to build "the tallest and fastest roller coaster on earth", reaching 420 feet (130 m) in height and accelerating up to 120 mph (190 km/h) in 4 seconds. The large investment tied it with Millennium Force as being the most expensive in park history.[8] The structure was built by Intamin's subcontractor Stakotra.[12] In March, Cedar Fair registered a trademark for the name "Top Thrill Dragster".[13]

Top Thrill Dragster's media day was held on May 1, 2003,[14] and it officially opened to the public three days later.[15] It became the tallest and fastest roller coaster in the world, overtaking the height record from Steel Dragon 2000 at Nagashima Spa Land, built three years earlier, and the speed record from Dodonpa at Fuji-Q Highland, which opened in late 2001. It lost both records to Kingda Ka at Six Flags Great Adventure in May 2005.[16][17] Intamin designed both Kingda Ka and Top Thrill Dragster, and the two share a similar design and layout that differs primarily by theme and an additional hill featured on Kingda Ka.[18] Shortly after it opened, a faulty valve on the hydraulic system caused a short-term closure.[19] The ride continued to experience a variety of issues dealing with its hydraulic system and launch cable, which frequently led to downtime early on in its tenure.[19]

During the 2017 season's opening weekend, Cedar Point temporarily renamed the ride "Top Thrill Cubster", referencing a lost wager with Six Flags Great America over the World Series.[20] In 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, timed boarding passes called "Access Passes" were used temporarily to comply with social distancing guidelines.[21]

In August 2021, Top Thrill Dragster experienced a "serious accident"[22] in which a guest waiting in line was seriously injured after a small metal piece was dislodged from a train.[23] An investigation by the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) determined that half of the bolts securing the plate dislodged.[24] Although ODA finished its investigation in February 2022, exonerating Cedar Point from any wrongdoing,[25] park officials announced that Top Thrill Dragster would remain closed for the 2022 season.[26][27]

On September 6, 2022, Cedar Point officials released an update on social media stating, "Top Thrill Dragster, as you know it, is being retired." This came after an extended closure that spanned more than one season.[28][29] Officials did not provide further details other than stating they were working on a "new and reimagined ride experience".[29][30] When it closed, Top Thrill Dragster had accommodated 18 million riders over 19 seasons.[31] Prior to the end of Cedar Point's operating season, parts of the roller coaster's track near the station were dismantled.[32] On January 9, 2023, Cedar Point announced on social media that the ride would reopen in 2024 under the tagline "A New Formula For Thrills", although the park did not release any other information at that time.[2]

After leaving the station, the train entered the launch area. To the left of the launch area was a "Christmas tree" light, similar to those employed at the starting line of a drag strip. A brief message was played to the riders before the launch: "Keep arms down, head back, and hold on." Once the train was prepared to launch, a motor revving sound effect was played and its magnetic braking fins were lowered from the launch track. It then launched, accelerating to a speed of 120 mph (190 km/h) in 3.8 seconds. Shortly after reaching its maximum velocity, the catch car disengaged, and the train began its ascent up a 90-degree incline, twisting 90 degrees clockwise before climbing over the 420-foot (130 m) top hat. Upon descending, the track twisted 270 degrees before leveling out, allowing the train to be stopped by the magnetic brakes.[33][15]

The roller coaster was themed to Top Fuel drag racing, a category of motor racing that involved the world's fastest accelerating cars. An actual Top Fuel dragster weighs approximately one ton, while each train on the coaster weighed 15 tons.[8] Originally, the design called for five cars on each train, but when the ride first opened, there were only four.[15] A fifth car was added to each by midseason.[15][34]

The launch area with the "Christmas tree"

Each dragster-themed train was also decorated with a spoiler, a set of tires, and an engine at the rear of each train, but these were removed after the fifth car was added to allow an extra row of seats to take their place.[15][34][35]

Occasionally, a train was launched without sufficient speed to reach the top of the tower and rolled back onto the launch track, hence the term "rollback". This typically happened in cool, wet, or breezy weather, or when the wind was working against it. The launch track was equipped with retractable magnetic braking fins, which were raised after each launch to slow the train down in case it did not reach the top of the tower.[36]

On very rare occasions, a combination of the weight distribution of the train, the force of the launch, and the wind could stall a train on top of the tower. When this happened, a mechanic took the elevator to the top and pushed the train down the hill.[37][38][39]