Chitwood’s ‘Thrill Show’ Now Runs In Daytona
Former stunt driver and Indy president preparing for first Daytona 500…
The winner of the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Daytona 500, Jamie McMurry, (Left) with Joie Chitwood III (Right). (Photo: NASCAR)Mike Hembree January 21, 2011 Daytona Beach, FL
Motorsports fans of a certain age can be forgiven for linking Joie Chitwood III not to Daytona International Speedway – his current employer – but to carnival dust and county fairs.
For 19 years, from the age of 5 to 24, Chitwood was a participant in his family’s Chitwood Thrill Show, a traveling automotive circus of sorts that featured daring drivers and stuntmen performing a smorgasbord of tricks and stunts on fairgrounds tracks and other speedways large and small.
The driving show, started by Chitwood’s grandfather, George Rice “Joie” Chitwood in the middle of World War II, was amazingly successful for most of a 55-year run, ending in 1998. At one point, the show had five traveling units, giving spectators around the country multiple chances to see cars jumping ramps, cars running laps around tracks on two wheels and the Human Battering Ram.
The Ram, at least for a while, was Joie Chitwood III.
“I had a firesuit and a helmet on, and they tied me to a car hood and drove me through a wall of fire,” said Chitwood, talking as if that was a mostly normal activity. “I busted through the boards with my helmet. I can’t think of anything that has prepared me as well for a career in motorsports as the Human Battering Ram. Knowing what it takes to run your head through a wall – that’s what it takes in motorsports.”
Chitwood, who was named president of Daytona International Speedway last August, knows all about that comparison. Only 41 years old – he’ll turn 42, remarkably, on Feb. 20, the day of the Daytona 500, Chitwood has had enough experiences with crisis management to warm the heart of virtually any Human Resources Department director.read more at:http://nascar.speedtv.com/article/cup-joey-chitwoods-thrill-show-now-runs-in-daytona-international-speedway/
Motorsports fans of a certain age can be forgiven for linking Joie Chitwood III not to Daytona International Speedway – his current employer – but to carnival dust and county fairs.
For 19 years, from the age of 5 to 24, Chitwood was a participant in his family’s Chitwood Thrill Show, a traveling automotive circus of sorts that featured daring drivers and stuntmen performing a smorgasbord of tricks and stunts on fairgrounds tracks and other speedways large and small.
The driving show, started by Chitwood’s grandfather, George Rice “Joie” Chitwood in the middle of World War II, was amazingly successful for most of a 55-year run, ending in 1998. At one point, the show had five traveling units, giving spectators around the country multiple chances to see cars jumping ramps, cars running laps around tracks on two wheels and the Human Battering Ram.
The Ram, at least for a while, was Joie Chitwood III.
“I had a firesuit and a helmet on, and they tied me to a car hood and drove me through a wall of fire,” said Chitwood, talking as if that was a mostly normal activity. “I busted through the boards with my helmet. I can’t think of anything that has prepared me as well for a career in motorsports as the Human Battering Ram. Knowing what it takes to run your head through a wall – that’s what it takes in motorsports.”
Chitwood, who was named president of Daytona International Speedway last August, knows all about that comparison. Only 41 years old – he’ll turn 42, remarkably, on Feb. 20, the day of the Daytona 500, Chitwood has had enough experiences with crisis management to warm the heart of virtually any Human Resources Department director.read more at:http://nascar.speedtv.com/article/cup-joey-chitwoods-thrill-show-now-runs-in-daytona-international-speedway/
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