We cover theme parks broadly here and Universal Studios Hollywood has been one of our most-watched stories this year because Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift is genuinely one of the most exciting coaster openings we have seen incoming in a long time. So when news breaks about the attraction, we are going to cover it.
Here is the news: a glass panel above the escalator area near the ride shattered. Here is the more important news: the ride is still testing and everything appears to be moving forward.
TLEV Media posted confirmed footage on X with the full picture: “CONFIRMED: Glass window is shattered for Fast and Furious Hollywood Drift! Vehicles are STILL running though. Hopefully an easy fix.”
🚨CONFIRMED 🚨 Glass window is shattered for Fast and Furious Hollywood Drift!
Vehicles are STILL running though
Hopefully an easy fix 🙌🙌 #universalstudios #universalstudioshollywood pic.twitter.com/UgbWUkLv3V
— TLEV Media (@TLEVmedia) June 21, 2026
That second sentence is the one that matters. Vehicles still running. Whatever broke, it did not stop the ride from doing what it needs to do right now, which is test. This is a construction environment and construction environments have incidents. A shattered window in the context of a major coaster in final testing is exactly as dramatic as it sounds, which is not very dramatic at all.
What Is Actually Happening at the Ride Right Now
The window situation aside, the state of Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift is genuinely exciting and worth walking through for anyone who has been following the project.
A June 18 visit to Universal Studios Hollywood showed a ride that is clearly in its finishing stages. New walls have gone up around the track featuring fabric panels designed to look like trees, which gives the construction zone a clean visual screen that fits the hillside setting. New tan-colored stone gravel has been installed along the nearby slope, smoothing out the landscape and giving the area the finished look that comes right before a ride opens to guests.
The tree walls also partially obscure one of the ride's inversions, which is almost certainly intentional. Universal wants guests to see hints of the coaster without giving away the full layout before the opening experience delivers it properly.
Now for the fun part: the ride has been testing. With vehicles. Each train is made up of four iconic cars from the Fast & Furious franchise and watching them move through the track during testing is already impressive even at reduced test speeds. They navigated curves and inversions and stopped mid-track during the June 18 observations, all of which is completely routine for this stage of coaster development.
More importantly, human rider testing has already happened. First vehicle testing was back in March. Human riders followed. That is the clearest signal you get that a ride is close.
Okay But What Is This Ride Going to Be
Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift will hit 72 miles per hour. That is the fastest speed ever recorded on a coaster at any Universal theme park, anywhere in the world. The track runs 4,100 feet with four inversions. Those are serious coaster numbers and the ride is going to feel like it.
The 72 mph figure has a real logistical consequence for guests. Universal Studios Hollywood is installing double-sided lockers specifically for this attraction, which is a first for the Hollywood park. At that speed you cannot have loose items anywhere on your person and the locker system reflects that. Account for this in your planning because the locker process adds time to your queue experience, especially on opening days when everyone is figuring it out simultaneously.
Universal published a June 26 opening date and then retracted it after acknowledging it was incorrect. As of now there is no confirmed opening date. Given the human rider testing and the finishing construction work visible at the park, the ride is close enough that we are watching it week by week. We will cover it the moment a date is confirmed.
The Florida Version Is a Separate But Related Story
For guests at Universal Orlando Resort who are reading this and feeling left out, here is your note.
A second version of Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift is under construction at Universal Studios Florida. It is replacing Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit, which closed in August 2025. The Florida build is behind the Hollywood timeline but both versions share the same fundamental ride concept. If the Hollywood opening generates the kind of reaction we expect it to, the enthusiasm for the Florida version will only build.
For regular Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit riders wondering what that footprint becomes, now you know.
What This Means If You Are Planning a Universal Studios Hollywood Trip
The window is getting fixed. The testing is continuing. The opening is approaching.
If your Universal Studios Hollywood trip is coming up soon, keep checking for an official opening date announcement. When this ride opens it is going to be one of the most in-demand attractions in the park from day one. A new record-setting coaster with a globally recognized franchise attached to it is going to draw significant lines in its opening period. Arriving at or close to park open on days you want to ride it is the most practical advice we can give.
If you are visiting before the ride opens, the visible testing activity from the escalator area is honestly worth watching. Seeing a 72 mph coaster train working through inversions in testing is a preview of something genuinely impressive. The shattered glass panel is just a detail in the background of a much more interesting story.
Planning a Universal Studios Hollywood visit and want to talk through how to structure your day around Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift when it opens? Drop it in the comments. We are on this story and we will get back to you with whatever we know at the time you ask.
