Lloyd Ruby Book Available at the Texas Book Festival
Lloyd Ruby: The Greatest Driver Never to Win the Indy 500 will be showcased at the annual Texas Book Festival November 17 – 18, 2001 in Austin, Texas. Lloyd Ruby fans can pick up a copy during the festival's book fair at the Persidea booth. Ten percent of the book sales will be donated to Texas Public Libraries.
The book festival began in 1995 under the guidance of First Lady Laura Bush and has quickly grown into one of the country's premier literary events. The First Lady will return to serve as the Texas Book Festival Honorary Chairman. Events at this year's book festival include readings and panel discussions, children's stories, puppet shows and more. For details visit their Web site.
Lloyd Ruby: The Greatest Driver Never to Win the Indy 500
The most frequent responses after the first printing of Lloyd Ruby: The Greatest Driver Never to Win the Indy 500 were, "It's about time someone did a book on him," and "Where can I get a copy?" Ruby became one of the nation's legendary auto racing figures during the 1960s and '70s—the golden era of the Indianapolis 500—and the projected popularity of his story was dramatically underestimated in its initial publication. The soft-spoken, hard-driving Texan has been out of racing for more than 20 years and, after all, time is supposed to have a way of dulling one's memory of the past. However, Ruby is an icon of perhaps the most colorful period of Indy car drivers and his fans have never forgotten him. The first edition was distributed regionally and lasted about as long as the Gulf War, and many were left wondering if a second edition would become available.
Thanks to publisher Travis McWhorter of Persidea Publishing, Midwestern State University Press and my editor Jim Hoggard for having the insight to make the story of this exceptional man available to a larger audience. The second edition is now available and readers will be pleased to know that it has been reedited and updated with additional photographs. Ruby was admired by millions of race fans for his straight talk, humility and ability to relate to the world's greatest competitors, the uncommonly wealthy and the common man. In Ruby, fans saw one of their own: Just an average guy whose only agenda was to love his family, win the Indy 500, cultivate friends and remain true to his word. And few drivers during the 1970s had more loyal followings than Lloyd Ruby. His appeal was remarkable, considering the fact that he led the race five times but never won, and we all know how America loves a winner.
But America also loves integrity. It loves a man who gives his word and sticks by it, a man who would pass up a golden opportunity to drive a superior car only because he'd given his word to a friend. Such a man was Lloyd Ruby—a rare find in the world of professional sports that has grown cold through the desire for self-serving interests.
In his review of the book, Wichita Falls Times Record News Sports Editor Nick Gholson wrote the following:
"The sports scene today is mostly about greed. Many professional athletes are nothing but high-dollar whores, jumping from team to team and city to city, selling their services to the highest bidder.
"And the sports pages sometimes resemble police blotters. Who's smoking crack? Who's selling it? Who's beating up his wife? Who got into a bar brawl? Who killed whom?
"There may be a few Lloyd Rubys left out there somewhere, but you'll need much more than a couple of bloodhounds and a small search party to find them. A simple handshake was the only contract Lloyd ever needed. A man's word was good enough."
For those who believe that integrity is as important as championships, I'm confident you will agree that the Indianapolis 500 had no greater champion than Lloyd Ruby.
Ted Buss
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