Fast and Furious Coaster Track Is Rising at Universal Studios Florida

The skyline at Universal Studios Florida is changing in a way guests can now see from the ground. Vertical track and a growing tower mark the rise of Fast and Furious: Hollywood Drift, the coaster replacing the recently demolished Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit. As of late May 2026, the project has cleared the foundation stage and moved into visible track installation, including supports for a 170 foot Spike element. The build is on pace for a 2027 opening in Orlando.

For anyone tracking what is next at Universal Studios Florida, this is the headline construction story in the existing park, separate from the new Epic Universe down the road. A signature coaster is going vertical where a beloved one stood for 16 years, and the visible progress is the clearest sign yet of what the new ride will be.

Fast and Furious: Hollywood Drift is a roller coaster based on the Fast and Furious film franchise, built to simulate the high speed drifting at the heart of those movies.

What the construction shows as of mid 2026

The track is no longer just footers and steel in the dirt. The first coaster supports went up in April 2026 in the park’s New York section near the expected entrance, painted blue, with grey track appearing on site. By late May 2026, a station frame was rising and concrete footers were extending toward CityWalk.

The marquee piece is the Spike element. Supports for a 170 foot tall Spike are going up, an element that will send cars rising nearly 17 stories vertically and then descending back into the layout over the outskirts of CityWalk. Crews have also installed track at the load and unload station and worked on a switch track, the mechanism that routes trains in and out of the station before they exit into a launch. That combination, a launch out of the station and a towering Spike, points to a high intensity ride profile.

What replaced what, and the California connection

This is a replacement project, not an addition. Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit, the launched coaster that opened in 2009 and threaded over Universal Studios Florida’s entrance, closed in August 2025 and was demolished by October. Universal announced Fast and Furious: Hollywood Drift as its successor in January 2026, and construction has moved at a steady pace since.

There is also a sibling. A first version of Fast and Furious: Hollywood Drift opens at Universal Studios Hollywood on June 26, 2026, ahead of the Orlando build. The California coaster features 4,100 feet of track, sound reduction technology, and 360 degree vehicle rotation to mimic the sensation of drifting through turns. Universal has said the Florida version will not be identical to the California one, so the Orlando ride’s exact stats remain to be confirmed as construction continues.

What it means for a Universal trip in 2026 and 2027

The practical read for planners is straightforward. Through 2026, Fast and Furious: Hollywood Drift is a construction site, not a ride, so it does not factor into a touring plan beyond the visible building work. The payoff arrives in 2027, when the coaster opens and gives Universal Studios Florida a new headline attraction in its existing park.

The bigger picture is about how Universal Orlando keeps its existing park current while Epic Universe draws the new attention. Replacing a 2009 era coaster with a franchise tied, launch and Spike thrill machine is Universal reinvesting in Universal Studios Florida rather than letting it coast on the new park alone. For guests who want to see how the rest of the park’s summer slate fits together, the Universal Mega Movie Parade is running now while the coaster rises. The films sell speed, and the construction is starting to look the part.