Back Seat POV on Speed-The Ride. Launched Roller Coaster at The Sahara Hotel & Casino NASCAR Café in Las Vegas, Nevada, this coaster is now in storage at Akita Plaza.
Length: 1,365 ft
Height: 224 ft
Inversions: 1 (transversed twice)
Speed: 70 mph
Manufacturer: Premier Rides
Speed-The Ride was constructed during the Sahara Hotel and Casino’s 1999 remodeling, as part of the NASCAR Café addition (which opened on March 2, 2000). Original plans called for an indoor roller coaster with a maximum height of 100 feet, but the layout was later modified. After the opening of the NASCAR Café, the coaster opened a month later. It was the fastest roller coaster in Las Vegas at the time of opening.
Unfortunately, the Sahara casino closed on May 16, 2011. The outdated resort had been suffering from decline and lack of upkeep in prior years. Speed-The Ride ceased operation prior to the hotel’s closure on May 1, 2011. Dismantling of the coaster began in April 2012.
According to the contractor dismantling the ride, Speed will be reinstalled at Akita Plaza, a small shopping center across the street from Mandalay Bay, which also plans to add new restaurants and a concert venue. The Akita Plaza development later stalled, and Speed-The Ride remained dismantled and in storage at the site. By 2019, a portion of the ride was recycled for scrap.
The Sahara space was taken up by SLS Las Vegas but the Sahara hotel eventually returned as a rebrand to SLS on August 29, 2019.
AloJapan.com