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9 Jul 2001, 03:23 (Ref:114609) | #1 | ||
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Join Date: May 1999
Posts: 1,370
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Willie T. Ribbs
I hate to say this as it almost seems politically incorrect but Willie T. Ribbs is living off his name and minority status in the Nascar Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS). I was at the Kansas Speedway NCTS race and Willie was a real turtle out there and was lapped before you could say his name. He ended up with a 15th place finish but it was mostly due to being slow, not pressing his equipment and staying out of trouble. It isn't like he doesn't have good enough equipment because he is driving the Dodge Motorsports Dodge in a series that is being dominated by Dodges. If NASCAR wants an African-American driver in a top echelon series, then they need to promote Tim Woods III who is driving for Jack Roush in the Winston West series. I did see Woods last month at the Kansas Speedway and I was impressed with Tim's performance despite getting a lap down early.
Back to Ribbs, I will be shocked if he is retained for next season with the way he has performed this year. It isn't like he is a spring chicken so I see no real upside from retaining him unless he turns it around real quick. Last edited by Joe Fan; 9 Jul 2001 at 03:27. |
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10 Jul 2001, 16:33 (Ref:115298) | #2 | ||
Ten-Tenths Hall of Fame
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Join Date: Jun 1999
Posts: 12,053
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I havent seen Willy in the trucks as yet but last year he was in trans am and did pretty well so im surprised he isnt as good in the trucks..he wasnt that quick in an Indy car...Im guessing this is his first year in a nascar sort of deal so maybe by the end of the year or next year he will be better ...well im sure that what hes hoping for anyway
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11 Jul 2001, 20:14 (Ref:115822) | #3 | ||
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Join Date: Sep 1998
Posts: 2,762
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Its a shame for Willy T. Ribbs. The guy had supreme talent in sports cars and Trans Am cars, but never faired well when he moved up to much tougher series like CART and NASCAR. I think he does not have the required mental toughness to run in the top echelons, I think he has the pure driving skill to do so, but not the capacity to deal with defeat and turn it into victory. Nothing to do with his skin color, even though he tossed out the race card when he could not get a top flight sponsor in CART a few years ago.
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11 Jul 2001, 22:10 (Ref:115867) | #4 | ||
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Join Date: May 1999
Posts: 1,370
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Here is the bad thing guys. I have been too busy to keep up with Craftsman Truck series this year but I have caught the last few laps of several races. Well, I knew Willie was racing in the Craftsman Truck series but he never was up near the front in any of these races that watched so I had to idea what color truck he was driving. I always checked the point standings to see where he was and I knew that he wasn't fairing real well.
Ok, now cut to me sitting at the track for the race. I missed the driver introductions staying under the bleachers trying to stay out of the sun and heat but I got to my seat shortly before the race started. Well, early on in the race I kept seeing this red Dodge #8 car going backwards and I said to myself, "Who is that turtle?" So, I reached down to grab my program to see who it was and it was then I discovered it was Willie T. Ribbs. |
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12 Jul 2001, 02:47 (Ref:115957) | #5 | ||
Ten-Tenths Hall of Fame
Veteran
Join Date: Jun 1999
Posts: 12,053
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I remember hearing when Willy was in Indycars that Bill Cosby or someone like that had the rights to make his life story into a movie..guess that never eventuated as they would have liked.
I guess Willy is destined to go down in history only as the first African American to qualify for the Indy 500 |
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