Photos by Ron Lewis, NHRA
Jerry Ruth, a pioneer in Top Fuel drag racing and the 1973 NHRA world champion, died July 1 at age 87.
Known as the “King of the Northwest,” Ruth dominated drag racing in the Pacific Northwest and beyond for more than two decades.
Ruth began his Top Fuel career in 1964 after running a twin-engine gas dragster. He later added a Funny Car to his fleet and found success in both categories.
“People asked me if a Funny Car was harder to drive than a dragster,” Ruth said in 2017. “Not for me. They were both the same. I’m a natural driver.”
From 1964 to 1972, Ruth captured eight NHRA Division 6 Top Fuel titles and three Funny Car championships—two as a driver and one as a team owner. In both 1971 and 1972, he became the first driver to win in two Professional categories at the same event.
Ruth won marquee races in the Northwest, including the N.W. Fuel and Gas Championship in Puyallup and the Travel-Ons Fuel and Gas Championship in Arlington, three consecutive years. His dominance in the region earned him national attention.
Ruth won marquee races in the Northwest, including the N.W. Fuel and Gas Championship in Puyallup and the Travel-Ons Fuel and Gas Championship in Arlington, three consecutive years. His dominance in the region earned him national attention.
In 1968, he won the Professional Dragsters Association Championship at Lions Dragstrip in Long Beach, Calif. He later secured three NHRA national event wins, including the 1973 World Finals in Amarillo, Texas, where he clinched the championship.
At the 1979 NHRA U.S. Nationals, Ruth’s car suffered tire shake. The following year, he introduced a dragster cockpit design by Al Swindahl, modeled after a Funny Car roll cage.
“People told me it looked like crap, that it was ugly; I didn’t care,” Ruth said. “I needed to fix this thing or my career was over. I made Al rich and helped him realize his dream of a lifetime, to build a car for the big guns.”
Ruth won the 1980 NHRA Mile-High Nationals and became the first to make a five-second pass at high altitude. It was his final NHRA victory before retiring in 1984.
He remained active in the sport after retirement, frequently attending the NHRA Northwest Nationals to display and start one of his vintage front-engine dragsters.
Ruth is survived by his wife, Cindy. He was preceded in death by brothers Bill and John.
