Willy T. Ribbs

William Theodore Ribbs Jr. (born January 3, 1955) is an American former race car driver, racing owner, and sport shooter known for being the first African-American man to have tested a Formula One car (he did so in 1986) and to compete in the Indianapolis 500 (tested in 1985, raced in 1991 and 1993). Ribbs competed in many forms of auto racing, including the Trans-Am Series, IndyCar, Champ Car, IMSA, and the NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. After retiring, he became a sport shooter in the National Sporting Clays Association.

Ribbs saw his most success in the Trans-Am Series, winning seventeen races while driving for Dan Gurney and Jack Roush.

Biography

Ribbs grew up in San Jose, California as one of five children in a middle-class family. His father William "Bunny" Ribbs, Sr. was a plumbing contractor and amateur sportscar racer and was friends and neighbors with Indy Car driver Joe Leonard. Ribbs was nearly killed at eight years old when an out-of-control car at a race struck him. As a teenager, Ribbs would take his car out in the California mountains at high speeds, frequently stopped by police for reckless driving. Ribbs proceeded to enter a racing school at the age of 21. Following his graduation from high school in 1975, Ribbs moved to Europe to compete. In 1977, Ribbs won the Dunlop/Autosport Star of Tomorrow FF1600 in his first year of competition, winning six races in eleven starts with Mike Eastick's Scorpion Racing School. Ribbs returned to the United States in 1978, making his debut in the Formula Atlantic open-wheel series at Long Beach on April 1, finishing 10th after running as high as 4th.

In May 1978, Charlotte Motor Speedway president and race promoter Humpy Wheeler entered Ribbs to drive a NASCAR Winston Cup car in the World 600 at Charlotte in an effort to attract black fans to his racetrack. Ribbs was partnered with veteran crew chief Harry Hyde. and when the Dodge Magnum Ribbs was supposed to drive was committed to another driver, Wheeler set Ribbs up with owner Will Cronkite and a Bud Moore Engineering-built Ford Torino. Cronkite replaced him with future champion Dale Earnhardt.

Ribbs returned to the Formula Atlantic series in 1981,

Ribbs attempted NASCAR again in 1986, running three races in the No. 30 Red Roof Inns car owned by DiGard Motorsports. His best finish came at his debut, a 22nd at North Wilkesboro Speedway. Also in 1986, Ribbs became the first black person to drive a Formula One car, when he tested for the Bernie Ecclestone-owned Brabham team at the Autódromo do Estoril, Portugal. Ultimately, Ribbs was not given the drive for the upcoming season. In 1987, Ribbs began driving Toyota Celicas for Dan Gurney in the IMSA GT Championship, winning four races. Ribbs had one top-10 event that season. He was involved in an unfortunate incident in Vancouver when a group of track marshals ran onto the track to assist Ross Bentley who had stalled, however, one of the marshals ran in front of Ribbs' car and the marshal was killed in the impact.

In 1991, Ribbs became the first African-American to qualify for the Indianapolis 500. He raced there a second time in 1993. In 1994, he continued in the CART series with the team, finishing in the top 10 at the Michigan International Speedway and New Hampshire International Speedway races.

In 1999, Ribbs raced in an Indy Racing League IndyCar Series event at Las Vegas Motor Speedway for McCormack Motorsports as a try-out to join the team full-time in 2000. However he crashed on lap four and finished in 26th and last place. After three top-10s the Trans-Am Series in 2000, Ribbs signed to drive the No. 8 Dodge Ram for Bobby Hamilton Racing in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Driving 23 out of 24 races, Ribbs had a best finish of 13th, and finished 16th in points.

In May 2011, Ribbs announced he had formed Willy T. Ribbs Racing to campaign former biracial NASCAR driver Chase Austin in the Firestone Indy Lights' Freedom 100 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, which coincided with Ribbs' 20th anniversary of breaking the color barrier at Indy. Ribbs himself came out of retirement to drive for the team in the Baltimore GP.

Among Ribbs' career highlights are winning the pole for the Formula Atlantic race at the 1982 Long Beach Grand Prix, IMSA GTO Driver of the Year 1987-88, and Trans Am Series Driver of the Year 1983. Ribbs won 17 Trans Am and 10 IMSA GTO races. He was enshrined on Long Beach Walk of Fame.

In 2019, Ribbs won the Indy Legends Charity Pro–Am race with co-driver Ed Sevadjian.

After racing After retiring from racing, Ribbs turned to professional shooting, specializing in sporting clays. His son Theodore Ribbs is a professional sport shooter. Ribbs married hotel management executive Stephanie Bauer in August 2018.

In 1984, during a warm-up session at the SCCA Trans-Am Series season opener at Road Atlanta, Ribbs was fined $1,000 for throwing a punch at fellow driver Bob Lobenberg, after the two drivers made contact on the track.

In media In the Disney Channel cartoon The Proud Family and its 2021 Disney+ reboot The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder, Penny Proud and her friends attend "Willy T. Ribbs Middle School," where the mascot is the "Racer."

Ribbs was featured in the 2020 documentary Uppity: The Willy T. Ribbs Story, which released on Netflix.

After driving in the 2021 SRX Series, Ribbs became a roving reporter for the 2022 season.

Awards Ribbs was inducted into the Trans-Am Series Hall of Fame in 2025.

Motorsports career results

Career summary

American open–wheel racing results (key)

PPG Indycar Series (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position)

1 Did not appear 2 Withdrew from rookie orientation

Indy Racing League (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) Year Team Chassis No. Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1011 Rank Points Ref 1999 McCormack Motorsports G-Force GF01C 30 Oldsmobile Aurora V8 WDW PHX CLT INDY TXS PPIR ATL DOV PPIR LVS TXS 47th 4

Indianapolis 500 Year Chassis Engine Start Finish Team 1984 DSR-1 Cosworth Wth Doug Shierson Racing 1985 March 85C Cosworth Wth AMI Racing 1991 Lola T9000 Buick 29 32 Raynor Motorsports 1993 Lola T9200 FordXB 30 21 Walker Racing 1994 Lola T9400 FordXB DNQ Walker Racing

Indy Lights Year Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Rank Points Ref 2011 Willy T. Ribbs Racing STP ALA LBH INDY MIL IOW TOR EDM1 EDM2 TRO NHM BAL KTY LVS29th17

NASCAR (key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

Winston Cup Series NASCAR Winston Cup Series results Year Team No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 Pts Ref 1986 DiGard Motorsports 30 Chevy DAY RCH CAR ATL BRI DAR NWS MAR TAL DOV CLT MCH DAY POC TAL GLN MCH BRI DAR RCH DOV MAR NWS CLT CAR ATL RSD 65th 219 64 RSD POC

Craftsman Truck Series NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series results Year Team No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 Pts Ref 2001 Bobby Hamilton Racing 8 Dodge DAY HOM MMR MAR GTY DAR PPR DOV TEX MEM MLW KAN KEN NHA IRP NSH CIC NZH RCH SBO TEX LVS PHO CAL 16th 2319

Superstar Racing Experience (key) * – Most laps led. 1 – Heat 1 winner. 2 – Heat 2 winner. Superstar Racing Experience results Year No. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Pts 2021 17 STA KNX ELD IRP SLG NSV 10th 67

Season still in progress