Hell Drivers
- This page is about the automobile sport. For the 1957 film starring Stanley Baker, see Hell Drivers (film)
Hell Drivers are automobile thrill-based productions performing at fairs and racetracks by various squads of stunt drivers since the 1930s. Earl "Lucky" Teter coined the phrase Hell Drivers when he began touring his show in 1934. These shows feature precision driving and deliberate crashes.
Featured stunts include driving cars on two wheels, crashing through flaming barricades, and jumping an automobile ramp to ramp through mid-air. Historically, Hell Drivers demonstrated the dependability of a manufacturer's automotive product. Major sponsors included Chevrolet, Dodge, Chrysler, Ford, AMC, Nash, and Toyota.
Notable drivers and promoters who launched Hell Drivers shows include Jack Kochman, John Francis "Irish" Horan, Danny Fleenor, Geoff Williams, and Joie Chitwood. Chitwood acquired Teter's Hell Drivers after Teter's death in 1942. Ford Motor Company initially supported Chitwood until the mid-1950s, when he switched to Chevrolet.
Aalborg, Denmark, is internationally recognized as the world's center for Hell Drivers.
Currently, the only traditional new-car stunt show in the United States is the Black Cat Hell Drivers, produced by Johnny Wisner. A documentary about the life and times of Lucky Teter has been produced by filmmaker Dan T. Hall and Vizmo Films.
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