While Ribbs Sr had watched many Indy 500s via telecast, it took his first in-person visit to the Speedway for his eyes to be opened to the dangers inherent in racing there. Image via IMS
Bunny was there for many of the dramas chronicled in
Uppity, as constant engine failures and dwindling odds of qualifying for the race brought constant drama to his son’s efforts. While the tensions reached a crescendo at the conclusion of the documentary, Ribbs remembers something rather different as it happened back 30 years ago.
“My dad and my family were taught not to show emotion, and that all stems from my grandfather Henry,” he said. “You do not show weakness at all. You don’t talk about it, you don’t show it, you don’t cry. I mean, that’s how I was raised. My dad was just calm and went along with the flow, with all the engines blowing up and he was observing everything that was going on,
he didn’t chime in at all. When we qualified, I’m jumping out of the damn car coming down pit lane, hugging everyone, doing high-fives, do the photos and interviews and all that stuff.
“Finally, I get to see my dad… No hug. He just shook my hand. Said, ‘Good job.’ Because you just didn’t do that in our family to men; men didn’t hug each other. And for right or wrong that’s how it was handled. So we shook hands.”
Ribbs Sr’s outward reaction to his son’s landmark qualifying run at Indy in 1991 was muted, but there was no doubting his pride. Image via Willy T. Ribbs
Despite receiving a somewhat cold and clinical response to qualifying for the Indy 500, Ribbs delighted in seeing his father showed with adoration from his friends and the media. Although outward displays of emotion were kept in check, Junior watched as Bunny stood proud and basked in his son’s achievement.
“He said, ‘Good job,’ and then he went back to entertaining everybody that was talking to him about what his kid just did. S***, he gave me like five seconds, turned around, and did an interview like it was his own show!” he said with a laugh.
“He was too busy entertaining everybody, but it was great to see. He was proud that his son accomplished it, and he didn’t have to make any excuses or explain why I didn’t. And when I think back to all the cars my dad raced, everything I grew up around in racing with him, there was only one direction I could go, and we ended up getting there together.”