3. Superman: Escape from Krypton -- Six Flags Magic Mountain

The top three is where we stretch the definition of steel roller coaster. These attractions are undeniably the fastest in America. The catch is that they’re not the lengthy, twisty, turn-y coasters you visualize when you think about the ride type. Instead, these are glorified rocket launches.

You start on flat track that quickly increases speed thanks to hydraulic launching. After barely a second, you’re traveling at ridiculous velocity up a virtually straight incline. Effectively, you experience a similar sensation to getting shot out of a cannon straight up in the air.

Superman: Escape from Krypton is the weirdest of the top three coasters. This is true for a couple of reasons, which tie together. Originally, the Superman ride was different in design. In 2011, Six Flags modified the 1997 design in a crucial way. It goes backward now! And yes, it’s the only coaster on the list that can claim this style. Yes, Superman: Escape from Krypton goes 104 miles per hour…backward. Whether or not you turn back time during this experience a la Superman the movie is uncertain.

2. Top Thrill Dragster – Cedar Point

Image: Cedar FairNot content that they started the gigacoaster arms race, the mad scientists at Cedar Point upped their game again 2003. They constructed what I can only describe as the world’s thinnest skyscraper, a 420-foot edifice that became the world’s first stratacoaster. These coasters stretch at least 400 feet into the sky, literally placing you in rare air, if only for a moment.

The design of Top Thrill Dragster pushed the limits of coaster technology so much that it experienced a dramatic amount of downtime during its first year. Those of us who were willing guinea pigs would stand in line for four hours or more, knowing full well that a drop of rain could shut the ride down for the afternoon. And gusts of wind could cause the Top Thrill Dragster structure to shake a bit, which was equal parts enticing and terrifying.

Why would anyone put up with this sort of aggravation? It’s simple. Top Thrill Dragster accelerates from zero to 120 miles per hour in four seconds. It IS the equivalent of a drag race in that you experience breakneck speed, but the whole thing is over in 30 seconds. Those 30 seconds, tho...

1. Kingda Ka – Six Flags Great Adventure

Kingda Ka debuted only a couple of years after Top Thrill Dragster, but the connection between the two rides is unmistakable. They’re similarly built, with Kingda Ka taking all of the information that they had about Top Thrill Dragster and beating it. The Six Flags Great Adventure attraction is 456 feet tall, 36 feet more than its predecessor.

What’s the purpose of the added height? You know that what goes up must come down, right? The extra height on the rise leads to increased velocity during the drop. Kingda Ka tops out at a velocity of 128 miles per hour, almost exactly double the speed limit!

The speed matters, too. Kingda Ka includes 318 feet more coaster track than Top Thrill Dragster. Despite the added length, this ride is actually shorter at 28 seconds! It tears through the track at such insane velocity that it overcomes the difference in size in a matter of seconds.

Kingda Ka is a triumph of architecture and engineering. It’s not just the fastest roller coaster in America. It claims that title by a whopping eight miles per hour; more impressively, it’s 28 miles per hour faster than the third-best speed demon, Superman: Escape from Krypton. And here’s the one that will really bake your brain. It’s more than 50 percent faster than rides #6-#9 on this list. It absolutely eviscerates them in terms of pure velocity.

The real shock is that Kingda Ka has stood out as the fastest American ride since 2005. Where’s the competition, other theme park operators?! Get working on something that will make Kingda Ka seem like Phantom’s Revenge! The entire industry is based on this race to be the king of speed!