Jerry Ruth

Jerry Ruth, nicknamed "The King",^[1] is a former professional drag racer who raced in the "golden age of drag racing" in the 1960s and 1970s. He was known as drag racing's "King of the Northwest".^[2]

Early life

Jerry Ruth was born the youngest of three brothers in Kent, Washington south of Seattle on the Benson Highway. His Father was a real estate developer. His brother Bill continued in his fathers footsteps operating W. E. Ruth Real Estate for many years, very visibly by using a caboose as his office next door to the family home. His brother, John, was involved in banking. When he was young he would race with his friends to see who could get to the Kent-Meridian High School parking lot first. Ruth considers Pacific Raceways near his hometown of Kent his all-time favorite track.^[3]

Racing career

Ruth began his career at young age. He raced several kinds of coupé and sedan gassers in the late 1950s and early 1960s, along with his brother John. In early 1963, he purchased a Chevy gas dragster from the Bier brothers of southern California and after racing in A/GD, started experimenting with nitro later that year. He built several cars and amassed various wins and track records. Ruth captured the NHRA Division 6 title five times between 1964–69 and began referring to himself as "The King". He quickly made a name for himself and in 1971 set a Top Fuel elapsed time of 6.43 seconds, tied for the quickest in history at the time, in his Don Long Mustang Funny Car which he built himself.

In 1972, Ruth sold his funny car and adopted a rear-engine dragster powered by a Keith Black aluminum 426 Hemi. He would gain prominence in 1973 when he defeated two-time U.S. Nationals champion Gary Beck at the 1973 NHRA World Finals at the high altitude Amarillo Dragway. Ruth recorded a pass of 6.11 seconds/232.55 mph (374.25 km/h) in hist first national event win. Another notable race came in 1977 when he defeated "Big Daddy" Don Garlits at the NHRA Winternationals at Pomona. At the 1977 Summernationals, Ruth achieved the fastest time in drag racing history to date with a speed of 255.63 mph (411.40 km/h), at the wheel of Garlits’ Swamp Rat.

On his way to becoming world champion, Ruth would endure several violent accidents, and suffered a broken arm and a severed fingertip. He had reached speeds of 260 mph (420 km/h) by the time of his retirement in the mid 1980s. During his racing career, Ruth earned three divisional Funny Car titles (two as driver, one as an owner), eight divisional Top Fuel titles (including seven in a row from ’68-’74), as well as the Top Fuel world title. Ruth would also become the first driver to win both Funny Car and Top Fuel finals at the same pro event, a feat he would accomplish three more times.^[4][3]

References