Q: I saw where Joie Chitwood III is the president of Daytona International Speedway. Is he the son or grandson of the Joie Chitwood who had the traveling automobile stunt show back in the 1960s?
—Willis Reasons, Roswell
A: Chitwood, who was named president of Daytona International Speedway in 2010, started performing in his grandfather's stunt show – called the Joie Chitwood Thrill Show — when he was 5 years old. He earned an MBA from the University of South Florida and has also been president/COO of Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The Joie Chitwood Thrill Show, which was described by NASCAR.com as "a traveling automotive circus of sorts that featured daring drivers and stuntmen performing a smorgasbord of tricks and stunts on fairgrounds tracks and other speedways large and small," started in the 1940s and continued until 1998.
Q: As one who is still mourning the loss of Dave FM, I’m curious as to whether the ratings improved for 92.9 now that it has gone to sports talk.
—Pam Hendley, Marietta
A: Ratings for 92.9 The Game are far below what they were on Dave FM, which was adult rock (or adult alternative), since the format switched in October. Parent company CBS is investing a lot into sports talk and appears to be patient about building a new audience. The sports talk format features locally produced shows and sports updates every 20 minutes.
Andy Johnston wrote this column; Rodney Ho contributed. Do you have a question about the news? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or email q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
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