Top Thrill Dragster the world overtaking both world records from Steel Dragon 2000 at Nagashima Spa Land that was just built three years earlier. It lost the title of being the world's tallest and fastest roller coaster when Kingda Ka at Six Flags Great Adventure opened in May 2005. Intamin designed both Kingda Ka and Top Thrill Dragster, and the two share a similar design and layout that differs primarily by the theme and the additional hill featured on Kingda Ka. The ride had constant downtime in its first couple seasons. Several problems such as the ride's hydraulic system and launch cable caused
Kingda Ka The ride was closed for three months for repairs and reopened on August 21, 2009. On August 27, 2011, Kingda Ka suffered unspecified damage shortly before Hurricane Irene; that same day, Six Flags Great Adventure did not open due to the approaching hurricane. While it is unknown whether additional damage occurred due to the storm, the coaster was damaged to the extent that it could not run before Irene. Kingda Ka remained closed until the start of the 2012 operating season on April 5. Shortly before 5:00 pm on July 26, 2012, a young boy was sent to the hospital