Racing Against Time: The Racer’s Final Run of 2023, Prepping for a Thrilling 2024 Rebirth
Kennywood’s Racer roller coaster will be closing for a scheduled retrack project on Saturday, September 16,2023.
Since its debut in 1927, The Racer has been a beloved attraction at Kennywood for an impressive 96 years. Maintaining three roller coasters from the 1920s is no small feat, but the parks skilled team of carpenters, maintenance technicians, and electricians is dedicated to ensuring guests get to enjoy the smoothest rides possible. In recent years, the park has made significant investments in these areas, including complete repaints for all three wood coasters, a cutting-edge control system upgrade for the Thunderbolt, and substantial track replacement work during each offseason.
The Racer stands out as one of only three Möbius loop racing coasters in the world, featuring a single-track racing design, and it proudly holds the title of the last wooden Möbius loop coaster in North America. Kennywood’s in-house team is now preparing to replace and retrack both lift hills, a project that involves over 1,000 feet of lumber.
Kennywood provided the following statement:
“It is important to us that the Racer is ready for Opening Day 2024, so our teams need to get started on the retracking project now. For this reason, the last day to ride the Racer in 2023 is this Saturday, September 16. Then, our carpenters are off to the races (pun intended) to give the Racer the offseason care such a historic, beloved ride deserves. They’ll start with the left lift hill this year, followed by the right lift hill next year”.
The Racer’s multi-year preservation project comes as Kennywood received big honors at the 2023 Golden Ticket Awards presented by Amusement Today. For the second year in a row, Kennywood took home the prestigious Renaissance Award, recognizing the park’s 125th anniversary and two-year, park-wide transformation project whereby the best of the old continues to blend with the best of the new.
The Racer’s project, which comes on the heels of the Kangaroo’s return in 2022 and the Turtle’s ongoing preservation project for 2024, reaffirms Palace Entertainment’s commitment to preserving the park’s past while moving toward the future.
Experience the last rides of the season on the Racer this Saturday, September 16, 2023, and mark your calendar for its triumphant return on opening day of the 2024 season.
For tickets and more information, visit the official Kennywood website by clicking here.
