JoieChitwood

Early Life and Racing Foundations

George Rice Chitwood, known universally as "Joie," was born on April 14, 1912, in Denison, Texas. His early life was marked by significant hardship; orphaned at the age of 14, he concluded his formal education after the eighth grade. During the challenging era of the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression, Chitwood resided in Topeka, Kansas, seeking employment to sustain himself. His initial endeavors included working as a shoe shiner and a candy butcher for a burlesque show to supplement his income. He also began to acquire practical skills by assisting in a welding shop, a trade that would prove useful later in his life. Chitwood's entry into motorsport was as unconventional as his upbringing. He constructed his inaugural race car from an Essex chassis. His unexpected debut occurred when the scheduled driver failed to appear, prompting Chitwood to take the wheel himself, where he impressively secured a second-place finish. This impromptu start launched his racing career in 1934 on a dirt track in Winfield, Kansas. He quickly progressed to racing "big cars," demonstrating an innate talent for the sport. In 1937 and 1938, Chitwood consistently performed, achieving second place in the Central States Racing Association (CSRA) season points standings. His ambition led him to transition to the American Automobile Association (AAA) East Coast Sprint car championship for the 1939 and 1940 seasons. He later returned to the CSRA, where he dominated the 1942 season, clinching the championship title and achieving an extraordinary feat of 14 consecutive CSRA feature wins.

Indianapolis 500 and World Championship Participation

Joie Chitwood's racing prowess extended to the prestigious Indianapolis 500, where he competed seven times between 1940 and 1950. A testament to his consistent performance, he secured a fifth-place finish on three separate occasions during this period. Chitwood is also credited with a significant, albeit often overlooked, safety innovation in motorsport. At the 1941 Indianapolis 500, he became the first driver to utilize a safety belt. He adapted the belt from his dirt car, recognizing that it reduced the physical jostling within the cockpit, thereby allowing him to maintain better control and keep his foot on the throttle more effectively. This pioneering move, however, was met with skepticism from some contemporaries who believed it was safer to be ejected from a car during a crash. To address these concerns, Chitwood reportedly promised AAA officials Rex Mays and Wilbur Shaw that he would release the belt in the event of an accident. During his peak years in sprint car racing, Chitwood continued to accumulate victories. In 1946, he won six major sprint car races, further cementing his reputation as a formidable competitor. The following year, 1947, saw him claim nine AAA East Coast features, including the inaugural race held at Williams Grove Speedway. Chitwood concluded his active racing career in 1950. It is important to note Chitwood's unique connection to the nascent FIA World Drivers' Championship. From 1950 to 1960, the Indianapolis 500 was controversially included as a round of the World Championship. Consequently, drivers who competed at Indianapolis during these years were officially credited with World Drivers' Championship participation and were eligible to score points towards the global title, alongside their AAA/USAC National Championship points. Joie Chitwood participated in one such World Drivers' Championship race at Indianapolis. His fifth-place finish in that event earned him a single World Drivers' Championship point, placing him in the annals of Formula 1 history, albeit through a unique historical footnote.

The Joie Chitwood Thrill Show: A New Chapter

While his racing career was distinguished, Joie Chitwood's most enduring public legacy stems from his groundbreaking work as a daredevil and stuntman. The moniker "Joie" itself originated from a newspaper reporter's error, who misheard and misspelled his name, confusing "St. Joe, Missouri" (where his race car was built) with "George" and inadvertently adding an "i" to create "Joie." The nickname stuck for life. Chitwood's transition to stunt driving began in 1942 following the death of fellow stuntman Lucky Teter. Teter's widow approached Chitwood to sell her late husband's equipment. Unable to find a buyer during World War II, and classified as 4-F (unfit for military service), Chitwood, who was teaching welding at factories, decided to operate the show himself. Thus, "the Joie Chitwood Thrill Show" was born. This exhibition of auto stunt driving quickly gained immense popularity, prompting Chitwood to significantly reduce his racing commitments to focus on the burgeoning enterprise. Often referred to as "Hell Drivers," Chitwood's show expanded to five units, which toured North America for over four decades. These shows captivated audiences in both large cities and small towns with their death-defying automobile stunts. Chitwood himself often adopted the character of 'Chief Wahoo' during performances, an act made believable to audiences due to his darker skin tone, despite not claiming Native American descent. He also incorporated a ramp-to-ramp jump, utilizing a car originally devised by Teter. Later, he and his son, Joie Jr., perfected the intricate skill of driving a car on two wheels, a staple of the show. The show's widespread appeal was highlighted in January 1967 when a performance at Islip Speedway in New York was broadcast nationally on ABC television's "Wide World of Sports."

Legacy in Stunts, Film, and Family

The Joie Chitwood Thrill Show became a family affair, with his sons, Joie Jr. and Tim, joining the troupe and continuing to run it after their father's retirement. The show maintained its touring schedule across the U.S. from 1945 until 1998. Joie Jr. further etched the family name into stunt history on May 13, 1978, by setting a world record, driving a Chevrolet Chevette for an impressive 5.6 miles (9.0 km) on just two wheels. Chitwood's influence extended into the entertainment industry. His show was featured in a Season 3 episode of the television series "CHiPs" titled "Thrill Show," and in the 1983 film "Smokey and the Bandit Part 3," where Sheriff Justice inadvertently becomes the star of the show during a pursuit. The show's impact was far-reaching, even inspiring legendary daredevil Evel Knievel, who cited Chitwood's performance in his hometown of Butte, Montana, as a key inspiration. World-champion auto dive bomber Dusty Russell also began his extensive 50-year career as a stunt driver with Chitwood's Auto Daredevils show in Idaho in 1951. Both of Chitwood's sons, Joie Jr. and Tim, became highly prominent stunt drivers, appearing in numerous films. Joie Jr. performed stunts for "Miami Vice" on several occasions and worked in over 60 feature films and national commercials, in addition to appearing as a guest challenger on the TV game show "To Tell The Truth." The family's legacy in motorsports continues through Joie Chitwood III, Joie Jr.'s son, who became president of Daytona Speedway in 2010. Beyond his thrill show, Joie Chitwood was a sought-after talent in Hollywood, frequently hired by film studios for stunt driving or as an auto-stunt coordinator. He served as one of the stunt drivers in the 1950 film "To Please a Lady," starring Clark Gable and Barbara Stanwyck, a movie centered on auto racing. Notably, Chitwood arranged and performed vehicle stunts for the iconic 1973 James Bond film "Live and Let Die." He also had a small on-camera role in the film as Charlie, the livery driver who picks up Bond at JFK International Airport and is subsequently killed by a dart.

Personal Life and Enduring Recognition

In his personal life, Joie Chitwood was married to Marie, a dancer who ceased her professional career after their marriage. They had two sons, Timmy and Joie Jr., born in 1944. Joie Jr. later had a son, Joie Chitwood III, born in 1971. After a remarkable career that spanned racing, stunt driving, and entertainment, Joie Chitwood retired, with his sons taking over the family business. He passed away on January 3, 1988, in Tampa Bay, Florida. Chitwood's contributions to motorsports and entertainment have been widely recognized. In 1967, he was named President of the 100 Mile An Hour Club at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He was inducted into the Eastern Auto Racing Club Old Timers Club in 1979 and received the Walt Ader Memorial Award in 1986. Posthumously, he was inducted into the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in 1993 and the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2010. Furthermore, his impact on the racing infrastructure includes supervising the construction of Pennsylvania's Selinsgrove Speedway in 1945. Joie Chitwood's career exemplifies a rare blend of competitive racing spirit, innovative showmanship, and a lasting family legacy in the world of motorsports and entertainment.