George Rice Chitwood (April 14, 1912 – January 3, 1988), nicknamed "Joie", was an American racecar driver and businessman. He is best known as a daredevil in the Joie Chitwood Thrill Show.

Background

Chitwood was born in Denison, Texas; he was of

Cherokee The Cherokee (; chr, ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏯᎢ, translit=Aniyvwiyaʔi or Anigiduwagi, or chr, ᏣᎳᎩ, links=no, translit=Tsalagi) are one of the indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, t ...

Indian ancestry. He was orphaned as a 14-year-old and he ended school after 8th grade. He lived in the

Dust Bowl The Dust Bowl was a period of severe dust storms that greatly damaged the ecology and agriculture of the American and Canadian prairies during the 1930s. The phenomenon was caused by a combination of both natural factors (severe drought) a ...

-era at

Topeka, Kansas Topeka ( ; Kansa: ; iow, Dópikˀe, script=Latn or ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the seat of Shawnee County. It is along the Kansas River in the central part of Shawnee County, in northeast Kansas, in the Central U ...

and was seeking employment during the Great Depression. His main job was a shoe shiner and he was a candy butcher at a burlesque show to earn more money. He started learning a trade by helping at a

welding Welding is a fabrication process that joins materials, usually metals or thermoplastics, by using high heat to melt the parts together and allowing them to cool, causing fusion. Welding is distinct from lower temperature techniques such as bra ...

shop.

Nickname

He was dubbed "Joie" during his racing career after a newspaper reporter mis-took and misspelled his name in an article. The writer confused St. Joe, Missouri (where Chitwood's race car was built) with "George", and when it was

typeset Typesetting is the composition of text by means of arranging physical ''type'' (or ''sort'') in mechanical systems or ''glyphs'' in digital systems representing '' characters'' (letters and other symbols).Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random H ...

, added an "i" by mistake to spell "Joie." The nickname stuck for life.

Racing career

Chitwood built his first racecar from an

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and Grea ...

and drove the car after the driver didn't show up; he finished second. He started his racecar driving career in 1934 at a dirt track in Winfield, Kansas. From there, he began racing

sprint cars Sprint may refer to: Aerospace *Spring WS202 Sprint, a Canadian aircraft design *Sprint (missile), an anti-ballistic missile Automotive and motorcycle *Alfa Romeo Sprint, automobile produced by Alfa Romeo between 1976 and 1989 * Chevrolet Sprint ...

. In 1937 and 1938, he finished second in the Central States Racing Association (CSRA). In 1939 and 1940 he switch to a different circuit and won the

AAA AAA, Triple A, or Triple-A is a three-letter initialism or abbreviation which may refer to: Airports * Anaa Airport in French Polynesia (IATA airport code AAA) * Logan County Airport (Illinois) (FAA airport code AAA) Arts, entertainment, and me ...

East Coast Sprint car championship. He switched back to the CSRA and won its title in 1942. He won 14 consecutive CSRA features that season. Between 1940 and 1950 he competed at the

Indianapolis 500 The Indianapolis 500, formally known as the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, and commonly called the Indy 500, is an annual automobile race held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of Indi ...

seven times, finishing fifth on three occasions. He was the first man ever to wear a safety belt at the

1941 Indianapolis 500 The 29th International 500-Mile Sweepstakes Race was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Friday, May 30, 1941. The start of the race was delayed due to a fire that swept through the garage area on race morning. No persons were injured, but o ...

. Chitwood took the belt out of his dirt car because he liked how he was jostled around less and would help keep his foot on the throttle. Chitwood promised AAA officials

Rex Mays Rex Houston Mays Jr. (March 10, 1913 – November 6, 1949) was a AAA Championship Car race driver. He was a two-time AAA champion and won 8 points-scoring races. He made his Indianapolis 500 debut in 1934 and won the pole in 1935, 1936, and ag ...

and

Wilbur Shaw Warren Wilbur Shaw (October 31, 1902 – October 30, 1954) was an American racing driver. He was president of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway from 1945 until his death in 1954. Shaw was the automotive test evaluator for '' Popular Science'' magaz ...

that he would release the belt in the event of a crash because drivers thought that it was safer to be thrown from the car. He won six major sprint car races in 1946. Chitwood won nine AAA East Coast features in 1947, including the first race at

Williams Grove Speedway Williams Grove Speedway is a half-mile automobile dirt racing track located in Mechanicsburg , Pennsylvania, USA. The speedway opened on May 21, 1939, it has been owned by the Hughes family for over 50 years and has hosted many of the most nota ...

. He retired from racing in 1950.

Joie Chitwood Thrill Show

In 1942, stuntman Earl "Lucky" Teter died and Chitwood took over his show after being asked by his widow to sell Teter's equipment. Chitwood was unable to find a buyer during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. Chitwood was deemed 4-F so he taught welding at factories. He began to operate the "Joie Chitwood Thrill Show." The show was an exhibition of auto stunt driving that became so successful he cut back significantly in racing. Often called "Hell Drivers," he had five units that for more than forty years toured across North America thrilling audiences in large and small towns alike with their death-defying automobile stunts. Chitwood performed a ramp-to-ramp jump with a car that was devised by Teter. Chitwood and his son Joie Jr. perfected driving a car on two wheels. His show was so popular, that in January 1967, the performance at the Islip Speedway, New York was broadcast on ABC television's '' Wide World of Sports''. His sons, Joie Jr. (b. August 31, 1943) and Tim, both joined the auto thrill show and continued to run the "Joie Chitwood Chevy Thunder Show" after their father's retirement. The Chitwood show toured the U.S. from 1945 to 1998. On May 13, 1978, Joie Jr. set a world record when he drove a

Chevrolet Chevette The Chevrolet Chevette is a front-engine, rear-drive subcompact manufactured and marketed by Chevrolet for model years 1976–1987 as a three-door or five-door hatchback. Introduced in September 1975, the Chevette superseded the Vega as Chev ...

for on just two wheels. Grandson

Joie Chitwood III Joie Chitwood III (born 1971) is Vice President of Corporate Development for the Arnold Palmer Group. He was formerly CEO of International Speedway Corporation, president of Daytona International Speedway, and prior to that president of the Ind ...

became president of the

International Speedway Corporation International Speedway Corporation (ISC) was a corporation whose primary business is the ownership and management of motorsports race tracks. ISC was founded by NASCAR founder Bill France Sr. in 1953 for the construction of Daytona International ...

, and served as president of

Daytona International Speedway Daytona International Speedway is a race track in Daytona Beach, Florida, United States. Since opening in 1959, it has been the home of the Daytona 500, the most prestigious race in NASCAR as well as its season opening event. In addition to NASC ...

and Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The show was featured during season 3 of ''

CHiPs ''CHiPs'' is an American crime drama television series created by Rick Rosner and originally aired on NBC from September 15, 1977, to May 1, 1983. It follows the lives of two motorcycle officers of the California Highway Patrol (CHP). The seri ...

'' in an episode entitled "Thrill Show". Joie Jr. did stunts for ''

Miami Vice ''Miami Vice'' is an American crime drama television series created by Anthony Yerkovich and produced by Michael Mann for NBC. The series stars Don Johnson as James "Sonny" Crockett and Philip Michael Thomas as Ricardo "Rico" Tubbs, two M ...

'' on several occasions. Joie Jr. also appeared as a guest challenger on the TV game show '' To Tell The Truth''. Joie Jr. worked in over 60 feature films and national commercials. In 1984 the show was featured in the movie '' Smokey and the Bandit Part 3'', where Sheriff Justice ends up the star of the show during his pursuit of The Bandit. Chitwood's show was credited by

Evel Knievel Robert Craig "Evel" Knievel (; October 17, 1938 – November 30, 2007) was an American stunt performer and entertainer. Over the course of his career, he attempted more than 75 ramp-to-ramp motorcycle jumps. Knievel was inducted into the Motor ...

as being his inspiration to become a daredevil when his show appeared in his home town of Butte, Montana.

Stuntman

Chitwood was frequently hired by Hollywood film studios to either do stunt driving for films or to act as auto-stunt coordinator. Chitwood was one of the stunt drivers in the

Clark Gable William Clark Gable (February 1, 1901November 16, 1960) was an American film actor, often referred to as "The King of Hollywood". He had roles in more than 60 motion pictures in multiple genres during a career that lasted 37 years, three decades ...

and Barbara Stanwyck 1950 film about auto racing, ''

To Please a Lady ''To Please a Lady'' is a 1950 American romance film produced and directed by Clarence Brown, and starring Clark Gable and Barbara Stanwyck. The climactic race scene was shot at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Plot Racing driver Mike Brannan ha ...

''. In 1973, Joie Chitwood Jr. is credited as a Stunt Coordinator for the hugely successful James Bond film '' Live and Let Die'', where he was also the stunt driver and acted in a minor part.

Safety Consultant

Joie Chitwood Jr. also acted as a car safety consultant, intentionally crashing vehicles for subsequent investigation. He had intentionally crashed more than 3000 vehicles by the time he appeared on the

game show A game show is a genre of broadcast viewing entertainment (radio, television, internet, stage or other) where contestants compete for a reward. These programs can either be participatory or demonstrative and are typically directed by a host, ...

I've Got A Secret ''I've Got a Secret'' is an American panel game show produced by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman for CBS television. Created by comedy writers Allan Sherman and Howard Merrill, it was a derivative of Goodson-Todman's own panel show, ''What's My Line ...

'' in 1965. Joie Jr. and Joie Sr. test-crashed guardrails and breakaway Interstate signs for US Steel and aluminum light poles for ALCOA.

Family life

Chitwood met his future wife Marie when she was a dancer; she quit dancing at their marriage. The couple had two sons - Timmy and Joie Jr. Joie Jr. had a son

Retirement

When Chitwood retired, his sons took over the business. Joie Chitwood died on January 3, 1988, aged 75, in Tampa Bay, Florida.

Legacy

Chitwood was named the President of the 100 Mile An Hour Club at Indianapolis in 1967. The Eastern Auto Racing Club Old Timers Club inducted him in 1979 and received the Walt Ader Memorial Award in 1986. He was inducted in the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in 1993. Chitwood was inducted into the

Motorsports Hall of Fame of America The Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (MSHFA) is hall of fame that honors motorsports competitors and contributors from the United States from all disciplines, with categories for Open Wheel, Stock Cars, Powerboats, Drag Racing, Motorcycles, ...

in 2010.Joie Chitwood
at the

Among his contributions to the sport was the supervision of the construction of Pennsylvania's

Selinsgrove Speedway Selinsgrove Speedway (nicknamed The Fastest Half-Mile on The East Coast, Auto Racing's Showcase since 1946) is a high-banked clay dirt oval south of Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania.

in 1945.

Filmography

Indianapolis 500 results

* shared drive with

Tony Bettenhausen Melvin Eugene "Tony" Bettenhausen (September 12, 1916 – May 12, 1961) was an American racing driver, who won the National Championship in 1951 and 1958. Bettenhausen was nicknamed the "Tinley Park Express" in honor of his hometown. He was ...

Complete Formula One World Championship results

( key) : ''* Indicates shared drive with

.''

References

External links

Sport: Joie Chitwood's Indianapolis Thrill Show (De Lachance Productions)
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Chitwood, Joie 1912 births 1988 deaths Indianapolis 500 drivers National Sprint Car Hall of Fame inductees AAA Championship Car drivers American stunt performers Stunt drivers Racing drivers from Tampa, Florida People from Denison, Texas Racing drivers from Texas