Copperhead Strike

Whitewater Falls, a Hopkins Rides shoot-the-chutes water attraction opened in 1988, closed at the end of the 2016 season.[3] No official reasoning was given by the park for the closure of the ride, and the ride remained standing but not operating throughout the 2017 season until it was removed. In 2018, Carowinds began teasing a new attraction for the area formerly home to Whitewater Falls.[4][5] On August 30, 2018, Carowinds officially announced Copperhead Strike, along with its accompanying area, becoming the largest investment in the park's history.[6][7] On October 17, 2018, construction of the ride's vertical loop and queue area were taking shape.[8][9] The roller coaster opened to the public on March 23, 2019.[1]

The ride starts with a slow barrel roll out of the station before a right hand turn into Granny's Jam building. When something in the building goes wrong, riders are launched out of the building at 42 mph (68 km/h) into the first of two vertical loops. They then careen into an airtime hill and a fast-paced corkscrew, before hitting a turnaround and jumping into the next launch. This one is actually situated over an airtime hill and is virtually unheard of on any roller coaster. The launch boosts the speed from 35 to 50 mph (56 to 80 km/h),[3] and speeds into an inverted top hat of sorts. That is followed by the second vertical loop around the track following the second launch. It then zooms straight through the second vertical loop and proceeds to travel along some high speed twists and turns in the middle of the ride's spread out structure. That takes it in one last airtime hill towards the brake run, situated directly outside of the station.[1]

On August 18, 2019, a guest was taken to the hospital after receiving a hand injury while riding. The ride was temporarily shut down following an investigation.[11]

Copperhead Strike was ranked in the Amusement Today's Golden Ticket Awards for best new roller coaster of 2019 in third place.[12]