Joie chitwood cause of death

George Rice "Joie" Chitwood April 14, — January 3, was an American stuntman , racing driver and businessman. He is best known as a daredevil in the Joie Chitwood Thrill Show. Chitwood was born in Denison, Texas. He was orphaned as a year-old and he ended school after eighth grade.

Joie chitwood jr biography

His main job was a shoe shiner ; he also worked as a candy butcher for a burlesque show to earn additional income. He started learning a trade by helping at a welding shop. Chitwood built his first race car from an Essex , driving the car after the driver failed to appear; he finished second. He started his racing career in at a dirt track in Winfield, Kansas.

Is joie chitwood jr still alive

From there, he began racing big cars. Between and , Chitwood raced in the Indianapolis seven times, finishing fifth on three occasions. He was the first man ever to wear a safety belt, beginning at the Indianapolis Chitwood took the belt out of his dirt car because he liked how he was jostled around less, and could keep his foot on the throttle easier.

Chitwood promised AAA officials Rex Mays and Wilbur Shaw that he would release the belt in the event of a crash, because drivers thought that it was safer to be thrown from a car during an accident. He won six major sprint car races in He retired from racing in