George Rice "Joie" Chitwood (April 14, 1912 – January 3, 1988) was an American stuntman, racing driver[1][2] and businessman.

[4] His main job was a shoe shiner; he also worked as a candy butcher for a burlesque show to earn additional income.

[6] In 1939 and 1940 he switched to the American Automobile Association (AAA) East Coast Sprint car championship.

[5] 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.

[6] Chitwood won nine AAA East Coast features in 1947, including the first race at Williams Grove Speedway.

The writer confused St. Joe, Missouri (where Chitwood's race car was built) with "George", and when typesetting the article, added an "i" by mistake to spell "Joie."

"[4] The show was an exhibition of auto stunt driving, and became so successful Chitwood cut back his racing endeavors significantly.

[6] Often called "Hell Drivers," Chitwood had five units that for more than forty years toured across North America, thrilling audiences in large and small towns alike with death-defying automobile stunts.

'[10] Audiences found the act believable on account of Chitwood having a darker skin tone.

[4] Chitwood's show was so popular that in January 1967, their performance at the Islip Speedway in New York was broadcast on ABC television's Wide World of Sports.

Chitwood's sons, Joie Jr. and Tim, both joined the thrill show, and continued to run it after their father's retirement.

On May 13, 1978, Joie Jr. set a world record when he drove a Chevrolet Chevette for 5.6 miles (9.0 km) on just two wheels.

Chitwood was one of the stunt drivers in the Clark Gable and Barbara Stanwyck 1950 film about auto racing, To Please a Lady.