Veteran Willy T. Ribbs to Race for Dodge

            Dodge Launches Major Diversity Motorsports Initiative

    AUBURN HILLS, Mich., Jan. 25 Veteran race car driver Willy
T. Ribbs will help launch a landmark motorsports initiative at the Daytona
Speedway next month.  Ribbs, 41, will become the first African-American to
join the Dodge Motorsports team.  Driving the Hamilton-owned No. 4 Dodge Ram
NASCAR Craftsman Truck, Ribbs' first race is February 16, 2001.
    "I am honored to join the Dodge family and to have the support of this
factory-backed effort," said Ribbs.  "This is a unique opportunity to compete
for such a reputable series and to be with a team as successful as Bobby
Hamilton Racing," he said.
    Ribbs was selected from among a number of candidates who were evaluated
for eligibility based on guidelines that included racing experience,
professional background, and character.
    "Willy T. Ribbs is a real winner and we're proud to be associated with
him," said Jim Julow, Vice President Dodge Marketing.
    "We hope that Willy will prove to be a success in this and future seasons,
and that he will move to the NASCAR Busch Grand National Series, and
subsequently to his ultimate goal of racing in NASCAR's premiere circuit, the
NASCAR Winston Cup Series," he said.
    Additionally, the new Dodge Motorsports program includes a development
process that will further diversity among racing technicians.  To enhance
opportunities for African Americans seeking to enter NASCAR racing as crew
members, Dodge will fund a scholarship program that provides NASCAR-based
racing technology education and career placement with a Dodge Motorsports race
team.  The initial nine-month curriculum provides general automotive theory
and practice.  Coursework can be completed at one of the five Universal
Technical Institute (UTI) campus locations in Phoenix, Arizona; Rancho
Cucamonga, California; Glendale Heights, Illinois; Orlando, Florida; and
Houston, Texas.  UTI is the only technical school in the U.S. that is
officially licensed by NASCAR.
    "Willy T. Ribbs is seen as an inspiration for many aspiring African-
American drivers," said NASCAR Vice President Brian France.  "The Dodge
program not only embraces NASCAR's diversity goals, but sets the standard that
others may follow."

                                  BIOGRAPHY
                                Willy T. Ribbs

    After graduating from high school in 1977, Willy T. Ribbs began a racing
career that has enabled him to compete with some of greatest drivers in
history.  Driving Formula Ford Cars in Europe, he won the Dunlop Championship
during his first year of competition.  Shortly thereafter, he returned to the
U.S. to race Formula Atlantic cars.
    In 1982 his career experienced a tremendous boost when he won the pole at
the Long Beach Formula Atlantic race.  In fact, he outpaced veteran drivers
such as Al Unser Jr. and Michael Andretti before engine failure pre-empted his
race to the finish line.  Nevertheless, that race opened the door to the SCCA
Trans-Am in 1983, where he won five races and was named Pro Rookie of the
Year.
    In 1984, Edsel Ford asked Ribbs to drive for Jack Roush in a factory
effort.  Between 1984 and 1985, he won 17 Trans-Am races before leaving the
series at the end of the 1985 season.  In 1986 he competed in two NASCAR
Winston Cup races for DiGard Racing.  However, the team was not able to
complete the season due to financial difficulties.  Ribbs finished the 1986
racing season in the IMSA series, winning two races at Columbus, Ohio and
Sears Points, California.
    In 1987 - 1988, Ribbs raced in the IMSA series.  While a member of Dan
Gurney's Toyota team, he was named Driver of the Year for both seasons and won
four races.  In 1989 he drove Gurney's developmental IMSA GTP Eagle HF
prototype.  That same year, Ribbs became the star driver on the newly created
Raynor-Cosby Motorsports team.  Actor-comedian Bill Cosby funded this effort.
    In 1990 Ribbs made his CART Indy car debut at Long Beach.  He competed in
ten CART races and won two top-ten events.  In 1991, he qualified for the
Indianapolis 500 on the last day, earning the 29th starting position.
Throughout 1994 Ribbs raced in the Cart series and achieved top-ten finishes
at Denver and Michigan Grand Prix races.
    In 1998 Ribbs competed against Mark Martin for the lead in the NASCAR
Street Race in Los Angeles.
    He ran the Las Vegas 500 IRL race in 1999 before signing with Victoria
Motorsports SCCA Trans-Am team for the 2000 season.  He finished second at
Long Beach, third at Detroit and fourth at Las Vegas where he was awarded the
Johnson Control Triple Crown.
    Ribbs will enter an entirely new form of racing with the NASCAR Craftsman
Truck Series for the 2001-racing season.  His entry into the series raises the
profile of diversity in motorsports.  Along with driver Joe Ruttman, he will
compete on the Dodge factory-backed team for Bobby Hamilton Racing.