When Will Stardust Racers Reopen?

Stardust Racers at Epic Universe remains closed following the death of a guest that has given rise to investigations and litigation against Universal Orlando. The roller coaster currently has no reopening date on the horizon, but its closure also is not being treated as long-term, leading many vacation planners to wonder when the headliner ride will return. This post shares everything we know about the timeline to date.

Fair warning before we start, though. First of all, this is a fan blog; we’re neither medical experts nor civil rights or personal injury attorneys. Moreover, this is an incredibly tragic topic involving a fatality. This whole question exists because a person, who had family and friends, died. Life is precious and fleeting, and it’s wholly inappropriate for gossip, rumors, and nastiness in a moment like this.

Suffice to say, if you want a specific date or timeframe for the reopening of Stardust Racers, you’re in for disappointment with this article. What we can instead offer is a recap of how the last couple of weeks have unfolded, and offer brief thoughts on the ramifications of all that for the future of the roller coaster. If you only want a confirmed return date, then there’s nothing for you here. Consider instead subscribing to our free email newsletter, which will provide you an update ASAP when Universal Orlando makes an official announcement.

The guest who passed away was 32-year-old Kevin Rodriguez Zavala. On the evening of Wednesday, September 17, 2025, Zavala became unresponsive after riding Stardust Racers. He was transported to a local hospital, where he was quickly pronounced dead.

Around the time of the incident, there was a large law enforcement presence around Stardust Racers and Celestial Park. This included crime scene vans and a forensic team taking photos of the ride vehicle in the loading area.

Chief Medical Examiner Joshua Stephany, M.D. with Orange and Osceola counties stated that an autopsy was performed on Thursday morning and that Zavala’s cause of death was “multiple blunt impact injuries.” The cause of death was determined to be accidental.

In the week that followed the incident, Universal Orlando and the ride manufacturer (German-based Mack Rides) conducted an internal investigation into Stardust Racers to determine whether the roller coaster functioned as designed.

Karen Irwin, Universal Orlando Resort President & COO, said the following in an email to Team Members at Epic Universe: “Our internal findings to date confirm that the ride systems functioned as intended, equipment was intact at the ride’s start, throughout the duration of the ride and upon the ride vehicle’s return to the station, and our Team Members followed procedures. The attraction remains closed as we continue to work through a comprehensive review process in cooperation with the ride manufacturer of record. Safety is, and always will be, at the forefront of everything we do.”

Following the incident, Universal Orlando has issued statements extending its “sincerest sympathies to the guest’s loved ones.” They have additionally stated that their hearts are with the guest’s family and loved ones, and all who have been impacted by the tragic loss. During a press conference with their attorneys, the family stated that they have not received a phone call, email, or any other communications from Universal.

Investigators with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services monitored Universal’s internal tests of the Stardust Racers roller coaster at Epic Universe. The State of Florida reviewed the company’s results, before indicating that their initial findings align with that of the theme park’s leaders who say the ride was working correctly.

However, the department also stressed that this is a preliminary conclusion and the investigation is ongoing. For its part, Universal Orlando likewise indicated in that same statement to Team Members that this is an ongoing investigation, and that the resort is cooperating with investigators at the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.

The OSCO is now investigating Zavala’s death under Florida’s manslaughter statute, which is standard procedural for deaths that are initially ruled accidental. Detectives still must determine whether there is any negligence, whether criminal or non-criminal, that might have given rise to deaths that are not natural. Detectives collect and follow the evidence while conducting a full and thorough investigation to determine whether culpable negligence or a crime occurred.

The Zavala family has since retained renowned civil rights attorney Ben Crump. The family is seeking full transparency from Universal Orlando, including the release of maintenance logs, inspection records, ride data, and video footage, to understand the circumstances surrounding Kevin’s death.

They’ve also requested a thorough and public investigation to hold all responsible parties to account and fight to ensure Kevin’s family receives the answers and justice they deserve.

Crump’s legal team has heard from additional witnesses and other riders who reported suffering injuries on Stardust Racers. The family believes these accounts show that warning signs were missed and that Kevin’s death was entirely preventable. At a recent news conference, Crump and the family detailed the accounts of other injured riders who have reached out to them.

People who’ve contacted the family and law office include a woman who says she lost consciousness and suffered neck and spine injuries soon after the ride opened, Crump said during the news conference. He indicated that several of the guests who have reported injuries were not disabled, yet they have nevertheless had problems with the ride.

Crump suggests that the stories shared with the legal team and family illustrate a pattern of problems with the ride’s restraints, causing riders to be thrown forward and hit the the bar in front of them. Crump said these complaints align with witness account of Kevin’s blunt force injuries.

The attorney also cited the since-settled lawsuit against Universal Orlando by a woman who asserted that she was injured on Stardust Racers during previews of the park three weeks before its official opening. Sandi Streets alleged that the roller coaster caused her head to shake violently and slam against her seat’s headrest. She claimed that she suffered permanent injuries because Stardust Racers lacked proper head restraints. Universal settled that suit within a few days.

Crump questioned what Universal Orlando did after receiving reports from that woman and others who have been injured on the ride. Crump contended that the woman’s complaint back during April previews gave Universal notice that someone was going to be seriously injured or killed on Stardust Racers, and that even then, there were known issues with Stardust Racers.

The family and attorney are also calling for greater government oversight for Universal Orlando and Walt Disney World. Florida’s largest theme parks are exempt from state safety inspections, unlike smaller venues and fairs. Instead, these operators conduct their own inspections and have their own protocols, but they must report to the state any injury or death.

This was a point of contention that came up during Disney’s Reedy Creek Improvement District saga, with the rationale for self-inspections being that Universal and Disney utilize more complex ride systems that require specialized expertise to maintain and inspect. It would be impossible for third party inspectors to have this range of knowledge, so self-policing (especially when clear and obvious incentives exist to do so) is the most appropriate course of action.

In a facilities report of the state’s theme parks for the second quarter (April through June), the Florida Department of Agriculture revealed that Universal Orlando had a total of seven reported incident, with two of them being on Stardust Racers. Per the report:

• 6/22/25 Stardust Racers, 63 yom, dizziness/altered state of consciousness (pre-existing condition)
• 6/24/25 Stardust Racers, 47 yof, visual disturbance/numbness (pre-existing condition)

Crump has stated that there were numerous “warning signs that there was something wrong with the design” of Stardust Racers, and that instead of remedying the problems, Universal has tried to “blame the victims.”

According to an incident report from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, Zavala’s longtime girlfriend was with him when riding Stardust Racers and informed deputies that he had a pre-existing spinal condition and was taking medication. Zavala’s family has confirmed that he had a spinal disability from birth and used a wheelchair, but claimed that did not cause his death.

Like other intense thrill rides, Stardust Racers has a laundry list of safety rules and guidelines. Among other warnings, the attraction lists the following requirements for riding: “You should be able to independently: (1) maintain an upright position, (2) support your torso, neck, and head while absorbing sudden and dramatic movements, and (3) brace your body with at least one natural upper extremity. You must be able to take a small step into the ride vehicle compartment, either independently or with assistance from your companion.”

“If they believed that disabled people should not be on this roller coaster, then why would you assist him in getting on the roller coaster?” Crump said during the press conference. “Now you can’t justify this by trying to blame the victim.”

Stardust Racers has been closed every single day since the death. It is once again listed as “Closed Today” in the Universal Orlando app.

Frustratingly, there is no such update on the official website for Universal Orlando. Theme park fans have undoubtedly been following this saga and are aware by now that Stardust Racers is subject to an indefinite closure. And to be fair, this story has garnered national headlines.

However, not everyone who visits Epic Universe is a plugged-in theme park fan (to the contrary, most at this point are not) nor is everyone following the 24/7 fast-moving news cycle. Accordingly, it’s a bit disappointing that I can go to the official Universal Orlando website–and even the Stardust Racers page–and find absolutely nothing indicating that the attraction is closed.

Even on the park hours page, the list of Temporary Closures for Epic Universe states: “None at this time.”

That’s simply not true. Only if you go to the real-time wait times in the app do you see that Stardust Racers is closed today. But that’s an in-park resource that is easy to miss while planning.

This might seem minor and unimportant in the grand scheme of things, especially when a guest just tragically passed away. And to be sure, it absolutely is inconsequential in the bigger picture–then again, so is pretty much everything we cover here.

The fact of the matter is that Epic Universe remains operational in the aftermath of this, and continues to charge guests $159+ per day to visit. Whatever the actual explanation for the multi-week closure’s omission, this strikes me as a lack of transparency on Universal’s part–another one in a line of several during the rocky rollout of Epic Universe.

As for when Stardust Racers will reopen, obviously we do not know.

Beyond bringing you up to speed on the latest developments in this death, we’ve presented the above timeline because it presents several possible ‘necessary prerequisites’ and ‘caution flags’ before Stardust Racers can reopen.

For example, Universal Orlando is not going to reopen the roller coaster while there’s an active manslaughter investigation. That feels like pointing out the obvious, but they’re just not. Even if the investigation is standard operating procedure and a formality following any non-natural death (and I’m not saying it is–but just assume for the sake of argument that it is), they’re not going to reopen Stardust Racers until that investigation is closed.

Beyond the Orange County Sheriff’s Office investigation, it is worth noting that Universal Orlando and Mack Rides still have their own ongoing investigation of Stardust Racers.

In her statement, Universal Orlando President Karen Irwin stated as much, sharing that the investigation remains ongoing. The Florida Department of Agriculture indicated the same (even though that department seems fairly inconsequential in this–all they’re doing is secondhand reviews of Universal’s reports and conclusions).

It’s also worth pointing out that Irwin’s statement indicated that the “ride systems functioned as intended.” This does not rule out the possibility of a design defect–an inherent problem in the engineering or design of the ride system that makes it unreasonably dangerous, even if the item is manufactured perfectly according to specifications. It also doesn’t eliminate other possible policy and procedure problems.

If such a problem is found, there’s the potential for a lot of back and forth between Universal and third party vendors–not to mention the intermediaries for both–as blame is assessed and contested, remedies are weighed and implemented. That alone is a potentially lengthy process.

Finally, there’s the issue of current and future legal exposure. Stardust Racers has now been the subject of 4 confirmed incidents, plus several other alleged ones.

Even assuming the roller coaster is fully cleared by an internal audit, there’s still the unresolved litigation. I won’t pretend to have a ton of insider knowledge about Universal Orlando’s risk tolerance, but certain signals–like their incredibly restrictive ride envelope policies–suggest to me that this is not a company that has an appetite for exposure. Which makes sense with its parent company being Comcast, as opposed to some upstart new park operator.

Theme park fans can point to countless other Mack Rides using similar ride systems, or other roller coasters using lap bar restraints that have operated for years without incident, or the overwhelming majority of riders of Stardust Racers who have been perfectly fine. It’s easy for us to do; no one is going to sue us for online speculation in the event of an injury or death. But understandably, that’s not the calculus for the multinational Comcast mass media & entertainment conglomerate.

Again, we have zero insight into when Stardust Racers will reopen and hesitate to speculate on what, if any, modifications will be made to the ride system before its return.

All I will say is that I wouldn’t be writing this article if I thought the answer to the titular question was sometime in the near future, or that an upcoming announcement would quickly render this article obsolete. We are on the fence about whether to do an upcoming family visit in either early December 2025 or mid-January 2026, and are operating under the assumption that Stardust Racers will be closed for either one. (Admittedly, part of that is managing expectations and proper planning.)

That’s just my gut, though. This does not strike me as one of those situations where the ride will be cleared by investigators, litigation will quietly be settled, and the ride will quickly reopen as if none of this ever happened. There’s enough that is happening, or has happened, here in the background suggesting to me that this is going to be a longer and more methodical process, and one that results in substantive changes to Stardust Racers.

Whether that’s actually accurate, I have no idea. How long it’ll take, if it is correct, I also have no clue.

What I do know is that, in the meantime, Stardust Racers being down is a big blow to the operating capacity of Epic Universe.

Stardust Racers is also one of the more reliable and high-capacity attractions in Epic Universe, owing in large part to it essentially being two roller coasters on one load platform. The theoretical hourly capacity of Stardust Racers is estimated to be over 2,750 guests, which is a big reason why it frequently has the shortest waits in the park. Like Monsters Unchained, the roller coaster is/was a people eater.

This is a sharp contrast to Donkey Kong Mine-Cart Madness, for example, which has an estimated hourly capacity of 700-800 guests. That is, of course, assuming it’s operational in the first place. (Curse of the Werewolf should be in the 1,000 riders ballpark, also explaining its high wait times.)

In other words, Stardust Racers having the capacity of ~3 other rides combined and being more reliable made it an asset to Epic Universe, which is still finding its operational footing. That ride being closed for a prolonged period of time is a massive blow to park operations, albeit one that’s (hopefully) partially offset by efficiency gains elsewhere and the end of storm season.

Stardust Racers is a dual-launch racing coaster that sends guests rocketing through the skies aboard comets in a race to see who’s the fastest of them all. Reaching speeds up to 62 mph and heights up to 133 feet along 5,000 feet of track, Stardust Racers is Epic Universe’s most thrilling coaster experience with unique maneuvers such as the “Celestial Spin,” in which the two coaster vehicles perform an inverted crisscross while speeding through the air, creating an otherworldly adrenaline rush.

In our Epic Universe Ride Reviews & Ratings, we gave Stardust Racers a perfect 10/10, with the following praise: “These playful coasters are full of surprises, with high-speed thrills offset by moments of levity and amazing interplay between the two tracks. There’s a ridiculous amount of airtime, and even though it’s intense, it’s never punishing.”

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