Back Home in Indiana

by Tim Considine
Editor at Large, The Auto Channel

02/25/97

He'll be a 40-year old rookie in the Indianapolis 500 if Billy Roe's lifelong dream comes true. Thanks to Tony George's IRL and some very recognizable names in racing, it looks like it's going to happen. Fantasy is becoming reality in the next few weeks for more than one aspiring Indy 500 driver in tests at the Phoenix mile, but Roe's story is at once, the most unlikely, yet perhaps the most endearing.

Billy Roe was born in 1957, almost a stone's throw from the most famous racetrack in the world. He saw his first 500 at the age of 10 - and has never missed a race since. Late in 1972, Roe's family moved to Phoenix, a circumstance that might have cut his connection to the Speedway. Might have, that is, if a certain legendary car-builder and master mechanic in Phoenix hadn't taken a shine to him in 1973 and hired the then 16-year old as a parts-washer and later, a mechanic.

Clint Brawner became a mentor for Roe, who crewed for his boss at the Speedway and elsewhere from 1974 through '79, when Brawner stopped taking cars to Indy. Roe also wrenched on racing programs for A.J. Foyt, Bobby Unser, Johnny Rutherford, and Tom Sneva, among others, but by the age of 18, he'd gotten his first taste of driving, in a modified stocker at the famed Manzanita dirt oval outside Phoenix. His real schooling as a racer, though, would come in several seasons of club racing in a Formula Ford.

Clint Brawner always had mixed feelings about Billy driving and never really did much to help him, but when a one-off opportunity presented itself in 1980 for Roe to drive a Super Vee at Michigan on a team with another rookie, Al Unser Jr., Brawner flew up to lend a hand. There were problems with Roe's car and he missed the two first practice sessions. When he did go out the first time, Billy pulled in after about six laps and rolled to a stop at the feet of Al Unser senior. Unser just frowned at him and shook his head no. Roe thought, "Oh, no, what have I done?" What he'd done was lap five mph faster than Little Al. In the race itself, Roe was leading at the halfway mark when his throttle stuck wide open. It was a real problem in traffic, particularly when drafting to lap another car. To keep from crashing into the back of them, instead of just backing off a bit, Roe was forced to switch the engine off entirely, then back on when it was safe - for the rest of the race. Jr. finished fourth, Roe sixth.

Clint Brawner died in 1987 and Roe had to face reality. Without sponsorship, he could only race sporadically, and then usually in older cars. He has campaigned in Formula Atlantic races this way in recent years, running only the oval races (guess why), usually overachieving, considering his out-of-date equipment - a third place here, a fourth there. Most of his time, though, has been spent developing what is now a thriving used school book business, The Text Book Company, across from Mesa Community College. Roe has made a good life for himself outside of racing, but the fire of competition still burns bright in his heart. Ironically, Roe's most recent rides were in an electric Indy car built by Clint's nephew, Tom Brawner, in which he set a new closed-circuit speed record for electric vehicles on the Phoenix mile. In 1993, Roe was permitted to do a demonstration lap in the record car on raceday at the Indianapolis 500. It was a great thrill, not only for Roe, but for his many friends within the racing community. To be honest, most of them doubted that Billy would ever get the chance to race there - until the IRL came along.

Roe's first break came at his home track, PIR, last year, when USAC held a special Rookie Orientation Program to give some well-known circle-track drivers, among them, Dan Drinan, Billy Boat, and Kevin Olsen, a chance to try out Indy cars. Naturally, all eyes were on these "shoes" after fellow short-tracker Tony Stewart's performance in the first IRL race. About that time, Roe walked up to Tony George, helmet in hand, and asked for a test. Johnny Parsons and his car-owner vouched for Billy and a '93 Lola-Ford was offered - if someone would pay for it. George said yes. Parsons gave Roe a few tips and sent him out on the Phoenix oval. In eight laps, he was within .2 of a second of Parsons' time after 57 laps in the car. He was already .2 of a second faster than Drinan and about 1/2 second faster than Boat. Quickly, they flagged him in to start ROP.

It usually takes 100 or so laps to get the Rookie Orientation Program in on the Phoenix mile. Drinan dazzled everyone by completing the exacting series of matching lap times at increasing speeds in 89 laps. Roe did it in 76 laps, the fastest anyone had ever done it. Pretty good for a walk-on. He came close to putting a sponsorship program together for Indy last year, but in the end, it just didn't come together in time. Now, with a lot of encouragement from racing friends, Roe's IRL program has become real. On the weekend of March 10, he is scheduled to begin testing his new Firestone-shod Dallara-Aurora for Antonio Ferrari's Euro International team. A major sponsor will be announced at the March 23 Phoenix 200, where Roe will make his official debut as an Indy car driver. Famed car-builder and mechanic George Bignotti will consult, son Billy Bignotti is crew chief, and engineer Darryl Soppe, who has 17 Indy car wins and a national championship with Mario Andretti on his resume, will be there with Roe, as he was at the Michigan Super Vee race in 1980. With any luck, in May, book-seller Billy Roe will fulfill a lifelong dream and return to his childhood home to compete in the most famous motor race in the world, the Indianapolis 500.

Tim Considine -- The Auto Channel