Uppity: The Willy T Ribbs Story is racing history more people should know ~ USA Latest Games

Willy T. Ribbs in victory lane at Daytona International Speedway after winning the Paul Revere 250 SCCA Trans-Am race, July 3, 1984. [credit: ISC Images Archives via Getty Images ]

Even in 2020, motor racing is a sport with all-too little diversity. Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton is the only black F1 driver I've seen compete in the 25+ years I've been watching the sport. NASCAR's Bubba Wallace similarly stands out in a field of more than 40 full-time Cup series racers. But before either of them turned a wheel in anger, Willy T. Ribbs was blazing a trail in the sport. His is a story that deserves to be more widely known, and if you have a couple of hours free you can do just that by watching Uppity: The Willy T. Ribbs Story, an engaging documentary that's streaming on Netflix.

The product of a successful Californian plumbing family, Ribbs eschewed college after graduating high school in 1975, instead taking his tuition money to Europe to compete in the highly competitive Formula Ford series. His talent was obvious, and in 1977 he won the Dunlop/Autosport Star of Tomorrow award (along with six out of 11 races that year), but like so many other young racers lacked the funds to continue up the ladder.

Returning to the US the following year, he set his sights on IndyCar, but quickly found a get him into NASCAR that year, and it took another three years before he was able to secure the backing to return to racing, competing in Formula Atlantic (the feeder series for IndyCar).

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