Ribbs back to racing after five years off

Beth Harris

Thursday, Oct. 14, 1999 | 9:52 a.m.

After five years away from Indy-car racing, Willy T. Ribbs is back. The only black driver to race in the Indianapolis 500 never wanted out, but lack of sponsorship forced his hand.

While he was gone, Ribbs worked the phones trying to drum up support while raising two children as a single parent in San Jose, Calif.

Occasional speaking engagements paid some bills, and his mother and sister helped, too. But it was a struggle for Ribbs, who nearly lost his house three times.

"There was a lot of sleepless nights, but I kept waking up in the morning saying, 'This is part of the price that you're paying to achieve your goal,"' he said, sitting on a tire as crewmen worked on his car.

Ribbs hopes to run the full 2000 Indy Racing League season with McCormack Motorsports, for whom he drove last month in the Vegas.com 500.

He crashed on the 16th lap and finished last in a field of 26. But the 41-year-old Ribbs remains undeterred.

"I think I can win races or else I wouldn't race," he said.

He'll get that opportunity again Sunday in the Lone Star 500, the season's final race.

"Our plans from the start were to have him start at Vegas, go on to Texas to build for the year 2000 and give us something a little more concrete under our feet to sell the package for 2000," car owner Dennis McCormack said.

Ribbs says that's really the toughest part.

"It's going to take a company that wants to not only win races, but wants to represent all Americans," he said of the corporate search. "The only thing I can do is perform when I have the opportunity and hopefully something will happen."

In 1991, Ribbs performed well enough to make the Indy 500. But he lasted just five laps. His engine gave out and he finished 32nd.

In 1993, with some support from Bill Cosby, Ribbs qualified 30th at Indy - then still a CART race - and finished 21st. He completed all but six of 200 laps.

It didn't matter. He lost his ride when sponsors didn't materialize.

A couple years ago, singer Pat Boone urged sponsors to help Ribbs resume his career, but nothing happened. Ribbs said Paul Newman, a CART car owner, has quietly helped him, too.

"I'm very honored that I have the support from Bill and Pat and Newman," he said. "I think they're just sending out a message: We think he can win."

Ribbs never doubted he would race again, so he stayed in shape and awaited the opportunity.

"The only thing I could do was stay focused and not lose my motivation," he said. "If you look at entertainers and athletes, you can name many whose career has gone into a slump and they went into a slump, too."

He avoided it, mentally and physically.

"I could not be that weak, so I kept fighting," Ribbs said.

Since 1991, Ribbs has had custody of 12-year-old daughter Sasha and son Theo, 8.

At first, Ribbs wasn't very good at parenting, changing his son's diaper for the first time under the faucet in the bathtub. Eventually, he learned to cook, and now brags about his seafood pasta.

"It's a challenge for me because when my kids were left with me at that early age, I said a prayer," he recalled. "I said, 'God, please, I want to be a great race driver, but I want to be a better father."'

Ribbs said letters he received from kids when he wasn't racing kept him going when his future appeared bleakest.

"When I talk with kids about my career I tell them that no matter what career you want to seek, you've got to pay the price," he said. "You've got to be very strong on your desire because in most cases it's not going to be a red carpet ride.

"It's going to be very, very tough, and only the tough will make it."

Because he did, he has the chance to continue chasing his dream.

"I'm happy with the things I've done, but there's goals that I have that I know I can achieve with the right group of people, and I'm not going to quit until I do that," Ribbs said. "I want to win in Indy-car."

Although Ribbs has lost some prime career years, he feels the same enthusiasm he experienced sliding into a race car as a youngster. He points out that Mario Andretti raced until he was almost 55.

"So, I've got over 10 good years left," Ribbs said. "There are some that get old and there are some that don't. I don't."