Ronnie Sox
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ronnie Sox (born c. 1938, died April 22, 2006 in Richmond, Virginia) was a United States drag racer.
His family ran an Esso service station near Burlington, North Carolina, where got his start in drag racing in the 1950s when the Police Club of Burlington began hosting races at an airport.
He raced at tracks throughout North Carolina and became a national sensation in the 1960s and early '70s. Sox won five National Hot Rod Association championships and more than 50 events. Together with racing partner Buddy Martin, Sox was the winningest Pro Stock driver (nine victories in 23 events) in the 1970-72 "four-speed era". Initially Martin and Sox were competitors, but Martin approached Sox to drive his car after concluding that he just couldn't beat him.
Sox later went on to drive a Mercury Comet in IHRA Pro Modified for a few years before retiring from drag racing.
Sox was ranked 15th on the National Hot Rod Association Top 50 Drivers, 1951-2000
He died of prostate cancer at the age of 67.
