Lightning Rod is a hybrid roller coaster located at Dollywood theme park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.

Manufactured by Rocky Mountain Construction (RMC), the ride is themed to hot rod cars from the 1950s and opened to the public on June 13, 2016.

Prior to the conversion to steel, Lightning Rod was considered the fastest wooden coaster in the world reaching a maximum speed of 73 mph (117 km/h).

Dollywood originally planned for the ride to open at the beginning of the 2016 season, but it was delayed due to a problem with its magnetic launch system.

Lightning Rod operated in limited capacity for much of its inaugural season and has been plagued with issues over the years that led to frequent closures.

[4][5] Upon Mrs. Parton’s announcement and confirmation, this ride (estimated to cost $22 million) was slated to be the largest investment, on any one attraction, in Dollywood's history.

[3] Plans focused on revitalizing the Jukebox Junction area of the park (open since 1995), with Lightning Rod as its primary attraction.

[7][3] The area would maintain its 1950s theming, with the entire section showcasing a design aesthetic unique to that era within the Sevierville and East Tennessee region.

[7] The project included interior renovations and an outdoor seating area at Red's Diner; a hot rod-themed retail store called Hi Octane; a chicken sandwich truck; and an airstream trailer selling Dippin' Dots ice cream.

[8] Ahead of Lightning Rod's opening, Mayfield Dairy released a co-branded ice cream flavor called "Smoky Mountain Fudge", advertising the coaster.

After winding through the outdoor area, guests enter a three-story research building, which contains a lot of the behind the scenes top secret information.

[19] Upon opening, Lightning Rod became the first wooden roller coaster in the world to use a launch system instead of a traditional chain lift hill.

Featuring a peak speed of 73 mph (117 km/h), it also became the world's fastest wooden coaster, surpassing Goliath at Six Flags Great America.

[8] The use of Topper Track also allowed the ride to contain overbanked turns, which could not be used on many traditional wooden coasters due to structural limitations.

[3][31][37] According to the Los Angeles Times, the theming on each train includes an "injector scoop, header pipes and a flame paint job".

[40] In addition, every year from 2016 to 2019, Amusement Today magazine's Golden Ticket Awards ranked Lightning Rod among the world's top 50 wooden coasters.