T'TI The
Friday, July 5, 1985
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Vol. 84 No. 164
YV eather: Once summer finally arrives in Nebraska the fore
casts begin to get a little boring! Summer-like conditions are
expected to continue today as it will be mostly sunny and
warm with a high of 90 (32C). Continued warm and sunny for
the weekend with highs expected in the lower 90s (32C) arid
lows in the mid to upper 60s (19C).
Barb BrandaThe Nebratkan
'Brel' examines reality
with satire...Page 6
Granny Geeks meaning
in health craze...Page7
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ft-- ' - . t - " II
j - Mark DavlThe Nebraskan 1 1
Fans cheer on Tim Chitwood and crew in their 4th of July celebration in Lincoln, Wednesday night.
! Stmt slhow (ciraislkes its way to top i
By Mike Keilley
Sports Editor
Most people consider flipping a car upside
down or crashing into a wall of fire a horrible
experience. But for the members of the Joie
Chitwood Thrill Show, it's a way of life.
The auto show's Western Unit made its
first stop in Lincoln in almost three decades
Wednesday at Midwest Speedway.
Tim Chitwood, son of the show's creator,
Joie Chitwood Sr., owns, operates and drives
in the stunt show. He started traveling with
the show at 5 and began stunt driving when
he was 14.
"Dad has tauzht me a lot of what I know."
Chitwood said. "But I've learned a lot on my
own."
Tim Chitwood is currently ranked as the
number one stunt driver in the nation. He
won the title at the First International Auto
Stunt Contest in 1980 and has not been chal
lenged since. Chitwood also set the world
record for driving a car on two wheels when
he piloted a Chevrolet Chevette 5.9 miles on
two wheels at the State Fair of Virginia in
1981.
Chitwood Sr. began his driving career in
the sprint car division in the late 1930s. He
also raced in the Indianapolis 500 10 times.
"Dad was a very good race driver," Chit
wood said. "But he thought the stunt busi
ness was much more fun."
It was for that reason that Chitwood Sr.
started the traveling show in 1943. It's the
oldest traveling auto stunt show in the world.
"There were a couple of other shows that
started before Dad's but both of the promo
ters died before 1952," Chitwood said.
For six years Chitwood Sr. traveled all over
the country, performing at state and county
fairs. In 1949, Chitwood Sr. got his first Hol
lywood stunt job. He did the driving stunts for
the movie "To Please a Lady," which starred
Clark Gable and Barbara Stanwj ck.
However, Chitwood Sr. enjoyed performing
in front of live audiences rather than on the
screen and returned to the stunt circuit. He
continued to travel across the country until
1854, when he retired.
Tim and Joie Chitwood Jr. took over the
show when their father retired. Chitwood Sr.
stayed on as the show's chairman of the board
and made a brief return to stunt driving in
1983.
The Chitwood brothers made some changes
in the show's structure but left the name
intact.
"We think the name is just too good to
change," Chitwood said.
The Chitwoods divided the program into
two shows. Tim Chitwood manages the West
ern Unit, which performs in 80 cities over a
four-month period each yesr. Joie Chitwood
Jr. takes the Eastern Unit to id cities each
year.
"Most of our shows work through local
promoters," Chitwood said. "About seventy
percent cf all of our shews rrs ft state fairs."
Chitwood's stunt crew hss also made sev
eral appearances on television and in movies
in the last 20 years. They did stunts on several
episodes of television's "CHiPs" series and
Joie Chitwood Jr. does the stunt driving on
"Miami Vice."
My brother and I have tried to develop the
television and movie deals," Chitwood said.
Each live program consists of 21 "acts,"
including six clown stunts and a "cannon
jump," where Tim Chitwood drives a Chev
rolet IROC Camaro off of a ramp. Another
popular stunt is the "human battering ram,"
where a car crashes through a wall of fire with
a crew member hanging onto the hood.
Despite the high risk involved with the
stunts, Chitwood said injuries are few.
"We haven't had very many injuries," he
said. "We've had only one fatality in 42 years
and only about 10 injuries I would classify as
serious."
Chitwood makes few safety modifications
in his Chevrolet Chevette, S-10 Blazer and
four IROC Camaros he uses in the show. The
windows and windshields are removed from
each vehicle and fire extinguishers and
extra-strength seat belts are installed. Each
driver wears a helmet also.
"We don't need to do much modifying,"
Chitwood scid. "The trick is to know the
limitations of the cars and yourself."
