Kennywood's Phantom's Revenge Vying To Be Nation's Top Coaster

PITTSBURGH, PA - Kennywood’s famed Phantom’s Revenge has been named one of the top coasters in country, and you can help it claim the title as the nation’s top coaster attraction.

The Phantom was selected as one of the best 20 coasters by a panel of theme park experts for this year’s USA Today’s Reader Choice Awards. People can vote daily on their favorite coaster until voting ends June 11 at noon.

As its regular riders know, there are thrills galore on the Phantom, whose biggest drop is its second one - a whopping 230 feet at a speed of 85 mph. The Phantom also passes terrifyingly close to the Thunderbolt, Kennywood’s classic wooden coaster celebrating its 50th birthday this year, and there are plenty of banked curves along its 3,365 feet of track.

But the Phantom has stiff competition in the coaster contest including three - count ‘em, three- coasters at Cedar Point, the Sandusky, Ohio, amusement park that many Pittsburghers frequent. The Maverick, Millennium Force and Steel Vengeance coasters all made USA Today’s Top 20 list.

Bill Linkenheimer of Ross, a past president of the American Coaster Enthusiasts said this sort of competition has far less to do with which coaster is best so much much as which park/coaster can rally the most support for the online poll. “Some parks do a better job than others about getting word out and rallying support, which is what USA Today hopes to see happen,” he said.

Linkenheimer has ridden more than 800 different coasters worldwide and said he would have a tough time making a top 10 list. “ But I can tell you that Phantom's Revenge is hands-down my favorite in the "steel" category, given that coaster enthusiasts always separate wood and steel when discussing favorites,” he said.

Click here to vote for the Phantom’s Revenge and see all of the coasters vying for the number one title.

Photo via YouTube.

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