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Fury 325 at Carowinds thrills 500,000th rider

Fury 325 / Tom Kelley Fury 325, a roller coaster at Carowinds on the North Carolina/South Carolina border, at times hugs the ground, other times soars. The ride is 325 feet tall, making it the fifth tallest on Earth, and reaches speeds of 95 mph. TOM KELLEY/TKELLEY@AJC.COM

CHARLOTTE — It’s been almost a decade since Carowinds opened its record-breaking coaster Fury 325, and this past weekend saw a major milestone for the ride.

On Sunday, Fury 325 welcomed its 500,000th rider of the season. The park shared a picture of three youngsters strapped in their seats with a sign to mark the occasion.

Fury 325 first opened in March of 2015.

This year also marks Carowinds’ 50th anniversary, and there are celebrations planned throughout the summer.

Fury 325 by the numbers:

  • 1: Fury 325 is the world’s tallest and fastest giga coaster
  • 2: Carowinds has two of the tallest roller coasters in North America (Fury 325 and the Intimidator, which is 232 feet tall)
  • 20: The 325-foot hill stands 20 feet taller than the Statue of Liberty.
  • 63: It takes one minute and three seconds to climb the lift hill. No roller coaster in the world pulled by a conventional chain is taller.
  • 14: Total rollercoasters at Carowinds.
  • 400: Trucks needed to haul the track pieces for Fury 325 to Carowinds.
  • 33: Trucks needed just for the equipment to build the 350-foot crane that erected the Fury 325 lift hill.
  • 140: Tons needed to counter-balance the largest crane used to build Fury 325.
  • 192: The number of track pieces for Fury 325.
  • 15,500: Number of high-strength bolts used to assemble Fury 325.
  • 50: Amount of engineers working for over a year on the dynamic design, engineering and fabrication drawings of the ride.
  • 8: Number of months it took to install the ride.
  • 200: Amount of skilled workers used to complete the ride.

(WATCH: Take a virtual ride on Fury 325)

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