Q & A: Willy T. Ribbs And His Shiny New Red Truck
Glance over most any little boy’s Christmas list and
somewhere you may find a request for a shiny new toy truck. Glance over
41-year-old Willy Ribbs list and you’ll see he indeed received his shiny new
red truck, but this is no toy, it’s a Dana Corporation-sponsored Craftsman
Truck Series truck capable of reaching speeds in excess of 190 mph!
Ribbs, the newest member of the Bobby Hamilton Racing Team
based outside Nashville, Tennessee, will pilot the truck beginning in February
2001 at the famed Daytona International Speedway, becoming the first
African-American driver to compete on a full-time basis in any of the top three levels of NASCAR in NASCAR’s modern era .
No stranger to racing nor championships, Ribbs has competed
in Indy cars at the world-renowned Indianapolis 500, the GT Series, Trans-Am
Tours, and competed in several NASCAR Winston Cup races in the mid-eighties.
But, the CTS offers Ribbs a new challenge he eagerly anticipates, especially
with such talents as Winston Cup driver Bobby Hamilton, the 2000 CTS Bud Pole
Award winner Joe Ruttman, and the entire Dodge Corporation on his side and
offering full support!
The racial issue, which will be reported over and over in
the media, isn’t what I’m really interested in discussing with you with
the exception of talking briefly about the fact that the Dodge Corporation and
NASCAR are taking unique strides in diversification. Your thoughts?
Great by me that you don’t want this to be another racial
piece. It’s never the reason I’m a racer anyway. You don’t have to take
this interview there and I’m glad you don’t want to. Speaking on the Dodge
issue, before there was this unique and needed test program of diversifying
auto racing, I was already winning races. I was racing in the Trans-Am Series
and there was never such a program. Then and now, I’m hired to win, whether
it is Trans-Am, Toyota, or the Craftsman Truck Series. There’s a lot of
money involved in racing now and if you aren’t in a program to put together
a championship team, what’s the point?Daimler-Chrysler has decided to take it one step further,
as well as NASCAR as a whole, because in their minds, it’s needed. NASCAR
needs to resemble the other professional sports in America. There’s no need
to even talk about basketball, football, or baseball, they already look like
all of America and have for decades. And now you have golf and tennis with a
healthy diverse look to it.I think Daimler-Chrysler has set itself apart from other
manufacturers; they are truly a breed apart by being a leader and a leader all
American’s can respect!The bottom line today is you must have talented drivers due
to the huge amount of money spent by the sponsors and on down the line. You
have to have corporate backing to reach the diversification needed and this
company I’m associating myself with is the best!
How do you feel about working with such great guys like
Bobby Hamilton and Joe Ruttman?
Bobby is a helluva driver in his own right. He’s the team
owner here at Dana Dodge and has put together one of the best CTS teams in the
country. I feel so good about coming aboard knowing the resources, good name,
and corporate backing this team has. And working with my new teammate, Joe
Ruttman is just an added bonus. Joe and I have been friends for many years, he’s
respected all around, and I look forward to racing on the same team.
And I would imagine you’re excited that your first run in
the CTS will be taking place in Daytona?
I raced in Daytona in 1984 in the Trans-Am Series, so I’ve
felt the pageantry of the place, but never on the Daytona oval. Many consider
it the biggest race of the year, so it’s terrific, more than terrific, it’s
awesome! I’ve been in a few big races in my day, including the Indy 500, so
I really am anticipating it.
I’m sure more than a few will remember Geoffrey Bodine’s
horrific crash there last year, any thoughts on the safety of the CTS trucks?No matter what vehicle you are in, if you go into that
fence the way Geoff did, it would have shredded a car as quickly as that
truck. The cables in that fence just demolished the truck and then once he was
back down on the track, he was further destroyed. I’ve known Geoff a lot of
years; he survived, was understandably shaken, but came back to race another
day. The safety cage held together, so it had nothing to do with an unsafe
vehicle or the fact it was a smaller vehicle, it was just the crash itself.
How did you get into racing in the beginning?
I’ve been racing my entire life. My Daddy raced
motorcycles when I was a kid, so naturally I grew up around it on the West
Coast. When I got out of high school I started racing and won at a Formula One
track and then I went to Europe for a while. I won my first championship in a
smaller car in Europe actually. Then I came back to the United States and have
been at it ever since.
Any other interests?
Just racing, although I do like to trap and skeet shoot
when I find time. Plus, I’m a single father raising two children, a
14-year-old daughter and a 9-year-old son, so that keeps me busy as well.
Either of your children showing signs of being interesting
in racing?
Not really, oh, my son likes the go-carts, but he’s more
into soccer right now, which is great too!
I read you may use the CTS as a stepping stone back into
Winston Cup, any comment?
I’ve run a few Cup races, so I can’t rule anything out.
But, right now, as big as NASCAR has become, including the CTS, my only and
number one focus it to be the best I can be for this Dana Dodge team. You just
never know what the future holds.
Do you see yourself as an inspiration in any form?
I really don’t know. A lot of young drivers, black and
white, come to me saying they like what I’ve accomplished so far and what I’m
capable of further accomplishing, they said it’s motivational for them. So,
that’s a good thing, to know you may have a positive influence in the life
of a young driver. Again, the bottom line is how you drive the vehicle! My
whole career is based on winning and wanting to win, so if somebody is helped
by my example then that’s fabulous!
Any final comments?
I look forward to winning races in the year 2001.
Bobby Hamilton’s thoughts on year 2001 in Winston Cup and
the Craftsman Truck Series:
You’re feeling good about Team Dana Dodge and all the
changes?Yep, I’m feeling relaxed and from the past, when I’m
feeling relaxed about a subject, generally everything goes well. I have no
negative feelings about any part of it, so I know it’s going to be an exciting
season for this team.
I heard you didn’t realize that Joe Ruttman and Willy Ribbs
have a long-standing friendship until recently.That’s right, I didn’t know, but that makes it all the
better. It was just coincidental they ended up teammates, good coincidence, they’ll
make great teammates because the chemistry is there already. There’s going to
be a few growing pains for the newest team, always is, it just takes a while for
everyone to gel. It was the same when Joe came aboard midseason, we didn’t get
any wins that year, but last year, look what Joe accomplished! Patience and hard
work do pay off.
I would think you’re really looking forward to seeing
exactly what these teams are going to accomplish?I think it’s going to be another great year! We all have
high expectations of one another in this crew. We had some great things happen
last season and expect even better things this season, no doubt.
And your expectations of your new Winston Cup team and the
#55 Petree Chevy?I’m feeling good about that too. We’ll have a little
bonding to do as well, but our time at the Greenville track recently was
phenomenal, we were very fast! Our test in Kentucky was cancelled due to the
weather; we took several drivers with us, but couldn’t do anything in the ice.
So, we’re going to go back to Kentucky and then on to Las Vegas soon.
You don’t ever get stretched out too far dealing with your
Cup responsibilities, the Dana Dodge projects, and other racing duties?Naaah, hey, I’m just here at the shop watching and having
fun! I have good people, I believe in the people I hire to be competent to
handle what needs to be handled, I’m just around to make sure they don’t
spend too much money. (Laughs)We’re all getting ready to make the big move to the new
truck shop a few miles down the road in Mt. Juliet, a new 43,000 square foot
facility, so we’re doing it all in one weekend and getting it over with so we
can concentrate fully on racing!
I really like that bright red truck sitting over there.
Yeah, me too, that’s Willy’s new paint scheme, red and
white. Red gets noticed you know?
Bobby Hamilton’s truck shop had the same holiday feeling as
if you’d stepped directly into Santa’s workshop! The snow outside. The
hustle and bustle of little trucks all being constructed and painted the bright
blues, whites, and reds. You felt at any given moment someone was going to start
attaching big red bows atop each one! The excitement of a new year right around
the corner with visions of championships in their heads. The three drivers,
Hamilton, Ribbs, and Ruttman all patiently watching their "toys"
perfected with last minute detailing before taking them to "play" in
Atlanta and Talladega test sessions!
"Tis the season, well, almost!!