By Robert Emslie
You might recognize the older guys in this photo- that’s Phil Hill on the left, and Dan Gurney on the right. The kid in the middle with the proud look on his face? Well, he would later go on to race for Gurney, and set a number of firsts in auto racing.
Willy T Ribbs wasn’t the most successful racer ever, and his career was peppered with anger and ego issues, both of which conspired to cut it short. Still, he set the stage for others to follow, including F1 champion Lewis Hamilton. While his competitive drive caused challenges in his career, it’s what compels all racers, and you can see that self assurance in the face of the young Ribbs pictured above. Check out what Ribbs is doing these days here.
Image source: [Willy T. Ribbs.com]
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Jeff Glucker
Interesting tidbit- 1978. Charlotte. The World 600. Willie T. Ribbs is scheduled to run the race in the #96 car. However
Willy was a hell of a road racer, seriously could have been regarded as one of the best ever had he made a couple of different decisions. I was also lucky (?) enough to see his NASCAR debut in person. I'm not sure what was uglier- his performance that day or the, um, welcome he received from the crowd.