Joe Sostilio ... Born ... Eastern midget and stockcar driver.
Bob Burman wins 50 mile race on the 1 mile dirt oval at Bakersfield Calif. Burman averaged 73 mph in a Peugeot.
1918
Allen Heath ... Born ... West Coast open cockpit driver who raced for years, despite losing a hand in a racing accident.
1926
Mike McGreevy ... Born ... Race car driver.
1932
Coo Coo Marlin ... Born ... NASCAR driver and father of NASCAR driver Sterling Marlin
Ernie Triplett defending AAA Pacific Coast champ, drove his Miller to victory in the AAA Pacific Coast championship race at Bakersfield Calif. Earlier, 1928 Indy 500 winner Lou Meyer set a new qualifying record of 36.64 on the 1 mile dirt oval.
1956
Willy T. Ribbs ... Born ... Sports Car and Indy Car driver
1969
Michael Schumacher... Born ... Formula 1 driver
1980
Wally Meskowski... Died ... Sprint car builder and Indy 500 crew chief
1988
George Rice "Joie" Chitwood ... Died ... American racecar driver and businessman. He is best known as a daredevil in the Joie Chitwood Thrill Show. He was dubbed "Joie" by a track promoter and the name stuck. Chitwood started his racecar driving career in 1934 at a dirt track in Winfield, Kansas. From there, he began racing at tracks all over the United States mid-west and between 1940 and 1950 competed at the Indianapolis 500 seven times finishing fifth on three different occasions. He was the first man ever to wear a safety belt at the Indy 500. Chitwood also operated the "Joie Chitwood Thrill Show", an exhibition of auto stunt driving that became so successful he gave up racing. Often called "Hell Drivers," he had five units that for more than forty years toured across North America thrilling audiences in large and small towns alike with their death-defying automobile stunts. His show was so popular, that in January 1967, the performance at the Islip, New York Speedway was broadcast on ABC television's Wide World of Sports. On May 13, 1978, Joie Chitwood set a world record when he drove a Chevrolet Chevette for 5.6 miles on just 2 wheels. His sons, Joie Jr. and Tim both joined the auto thrill show and continued to run the "Joie Chitwood Chevy Thunder Show" after their father's retirement. His grandson, Joie Chitwood III, is the COO for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Chitwood's show was credited by Evel Knievel as being his inspiration to become a daredevil. Chitwood was frequently hired by Hollywood film studios to either do stunt driving for films or to act as auto-stunt coordinator. On a few occasions he appeared in a minor role, notably with Clark Gable and Barbara Stanwyck in the 1950 film about the Indy 500, To Please a Lady.
In 1973, Chitwood is credited as a Stunt Coordinator for the hugely successful James Bond film Live and Let Die . He was inducted in the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in 1993.
1999
Chuck Parsons... Died ... Sports car driver . Ran one USAC race at Riverside in 1967.
ONE DAY
To report wrong information, click here to send E-Mail to webmaster@wheelsofspeed.com 
Back to the Wheels of Speed home page