Indy 500 veteran Lloyd Ruby died on Monday, March 23rd, following an illness. He was 81 years old. Ruby, from Wichita Falls in Kansas, had an extraordinary racing career during which he became one of America’s best drivers.
Early Racing Career of Lloyd Ruby
Born on January 12th, 1928, Ruby’s earliest motorised exploits were on motorcycles, or “sickles” as he called them. It was while working in a local motorcycle shop that he first had the opportunity to try car racing, driving a midget owned by car dealer Abe Rabin.
Ruby soon decided that four wheels were for him and, for the next two decades, travelled all over America racing. His career was interrupted for a while in the early 1950s when he spent time in the US Army.
It was while in the army that Ruby first tried stock car racing. He quickly mastered the discipline, and versatility proved to be one of his greatest strengths throughout his long racing career. In addition to midget racing Ruby also started competing in sports cars. During the 1960s he claimed major victories in the endurance classics at Sebring and Daytona, driving alongside British driver Ken Miles. Sadly, the partnership did not last as Miles died in a crash at Riverside in 1966.
Lloyd Ruby and the Indy 500
Ruby competed in many races, but it was the Indianapolis 500 with which he was to become most associated. With the aid of Tony Bettenhausen he found a drive for the 1960 race in a car owned by J.C. Agajanian. Ruby excelled on his first appearance at Indy, running third until his fuel ran out. He was eventually classified seventh.
Ruby’s best Indy finish came in the tragic 1964 race, when he did finish third. On several further occasions he looked certain to win the race, but he was plagued by terrible luck at the speedway.
In 1966 Ruby led at Indy, only to be black-flagged for trailing oil. Two years later he led again, only for the car to fail. In 1969 he entered the pits from the lead for a routine fuel stop, only to pull away too quickly while the hose was still attached. Ruby led the Indy 500 on two more occasions, but never on the lap which mattered.
Many drivers would have been understandably bitter about such terrible luck, but Ruby was philosophical about his fate. In Phil Berger and Larry Bernstein’s 1977 book The Boys of Indy, published by Corwin, Ruby discussed his Indy curse;
“Of course, I wish I could win the 500. But win or not, it’s a thrill to keep coming back… I know something’s gonna break, but each year I gotta go back and see what it is. [Laughs.]”
Away from Indy Ruby had rather more success, recording seven USAC Championship victories. His final appearance at Indy was in 1978, at the age of 50, when poor reliability prevented him from qualifying. Ruby then slipped into well earned retirement. He is survived by his wife Peggy, son John and daughter Mary Ann.
