In the early 1970s, Marriott Corporation was looking to extend its hotel and restaurant operations into the amusement park industry.

[1] Both parks were named Marriott's Great America, and the first opened in Santa Clara, California, on March 20, 1976.

[1][3] Whizzer was a custom-built Speedracer model designed by Werner Stengel and built by Anton Schwarzkopf,[3] a well-known amusement manufacturing company responsible for many rides that opened in the mid-to-late 20th century.

[4] Six Flags Great America's Whizzer was nearly closed in August 2002, fueled by increasing maintenance costs, to make way for Superman: Ultimate Flight.

[5] However, due to public backlash and outcry, the park reversed their decision at the last minute and instead demolished Shockwave, putting Superman: Ultimate Flight on its plot of land in Orleans Place.

[6] After Marriott sold California's Great America to the city of Santa Clara under management of the Kings Entertainment Company, the Whizzer continued to operate until it was subsequently demolished in 1988.

In one four-year period, from 1976 to 1979, there were at least 11 recorded instances of station collisions on the version in Santa Clara, resulting in an unknown number of injuries.