Tampa’s Chitwood put in the work to transform Daytona.
By JOEY JOHNSTON
Tribune staff
(c) Tampa Bay Times. Originally published Feb. 20, 2016.
Sunday afternoon, when the green flag is dropped at the Daytona 500, when more than 100,000 fans settle into the palatial and modernized Daytona International Speedway, when one of America’s iconic sporting events assumes its new personality after the stadium’s $400 million facelift, Tampa native Joie Chitwood III expects to have goose bumps.
Talk about a thrill show.
“I think the general consensus is going to be something like, ‘Wow,’ ” said Chitwood, the speedway’s president. “Truthfully, the word ‘wow’ won’t do it justice.’’
Just like there are few words that could adequately describe Chitwood’s ascension to one of the most powerful and influential positions in motorsports.
“It’s kind of amazing, but Joie has always been an amazing kind of guy,” said Jason Fernandez, an Ybor City restaurateur who graduated with Chitwood from Jesuit High School in 1987. “No matter what, people always gravitated to him. And he was always driven.”
Chitwood’s story is a classic American tale. Boy grows up working with father and grandfather. Boy matures, eventually resisting the lure of the family business, wanting to establish his own name. Boy surpasses all expectations, making everyone proud.
Oh, there’s a nuance or two.
Beginning at age 5, Chitwood toured the country each summer with his family’s renowned Thrill Show, serving as a stunt man. He was the “Human Battering Ram,” wearing a firesuit and a helmet, lying on the hood of a car and bashing through a fiery wall. He performed the “Aerial Wing Walk,” climbing out of the passenger window, while his father drove a car on two wheels, balancing like a surfer on the car’s side. Once, he appeared on the television program “That’s Incredible.”
Chitwood’s friends remember a charismatic teenager who drove a Corvette convertible to Jesuit. But the thrills stopped there.
“He drove like your grandfather might drive,” Fernandez said. “We’d bust his chops all the time about it. He was the slowest, most careful driver any of us had ever seen.”
“He would kind of smirk and say, ‘I don’t need to drive fast … I do that for a living,’ ” said Dean Valenti, a Jesuit High classmate who is business director for the Greenberg Traurig law firm’s Tampa office.
Chitwood fit into the Jesuit fabric. He gathered with his friends at the morning convocation. As a freshman, he avidly followed the Terry Rupp-led basketball team as it won a state championship. He wrestled.
“I won one match,” Chitwood said. “Actually pinned a guy.”
But he wrestled with a more important decision when he received his undergraduate degree from the University of Florida, then an MBA from the University of South Florida. Chitwood entered the business side of racing, working in Chicago and Indianapolis before returning to Daytona in his home state.
It’s been said that Chitwood has gasoline running through his veins, so he’s more than just another corporate suit. Truthfully, he only wears suits when absolutely required, much preferring a polo shirt with the Daytona logo.
“I try to live that brand every day,” Chitwood said.
With his driving/stunt experience, plus the acquired business acumen, Chitwood said he cares deeply about drivers’ needs, plus creating the optimum fan experience.
“He talks to the guy who’s sweeping up the very same way he talks to a team owner,” Valenti said. “That has never changed. He always treated people well.”
“Even when Joie walks, he walks with a purpose,” Fernandez said. “He always had a mission, a task, and he was going places.”
The new Daytona stadium has been a 24/7 fixture in Chitwood’s life for more than two years.
“It’s a stadium that’s nine-tenths of a mile long, an absolute modern marvel,” Chitwood said. “Over that distance, you have to plan for the curvature of the Earth — 7 inches, by the way — and it just seems to fit the big and bold nature of Daytona. This is the biggest, boldest thing we’ve ever done.”
Even with big and bold, though, there are basics. Chitwood said he’s focused on security, food and beverage services, traffic flow, courtesy to fans, all the elements that already existed and must be maintained.
“One thing I’ve always believed is you can sleep when you retire,” Chitwood said. “Meaning you’ve got to work hard. I learned that from my father and grandfather. It’s still true today. We are in the entertainment business, and we have to take care of our fans.
“The stadium was (more than) 50 years old. As great as history and heritage is, after 20 minutes of sitting in a 15-inch metal folding-chair type of chair, it’s tough for fans to enjoy it. We’re not living up to the investment they’re making. We had to get after it.”
The new stadium, known as “Daytona Rising,” is described as “transformational” by Chitwood, not only for motorsports but also for all of sports.
“I’m thankful for Joie Chitwood, his enthusiasm and his drive for this race track and what it means to the fans,” two-time Daytona 500 champion Michael Waltrip said. “The Daytona 500 is one of the greatest sporting events in the world. And it needs to be treated that way.
“People need to smile when they say Daytona 500. It’s a special day. Joie brings that. He has that energy for this sport that we really need.”
Chitwood can’t wait for Sunday. He will be on edge — as usual — because it’s difficult to completely relax when throwing a party for 100,000 guests.
“I can’t imagine all the details Joie has to account for — and he always stays the same person,” driver Matt Kenseth said.
The work is done. The preparations have been made. That’s true of the stadium project — and also true of how Chitwood crafted his career.
“I really get a kick out of the fact that people will be absolutely blown away,” Chitwood said.
It’s goose-bump time.
Wouldn’t you know it? Chitwood never really left the thrill-show business.