Willard Ronald Sox (December 17, 1938 – April 22, 2006 in

Richmond, Virginia Richmond ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. Incorporated in 1742, Richmond has been an independent city (United States), independent city since 1871. ...

) was an American

drag racer Drag racing is a type of motor racing in which automobiles or motorcycles compete, usually two at a time, to be first to cross a set finish line. The race follows a short, straight course from a standing start over a measured distance, most c ...

. His family ran a Sinclair (SOX SINCLAIR) station on Church St. in

Burlington, North Carolina Burlington is a city in Alamance County, North Carolina, Alamance and Guilford County, North Carolina, Guilford counties in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the principal city of the Burlington, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area, which en ...

, 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 1970s. Sox won five

National Hot Rod Association The National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) is a governing body which sets rules in drag racing and hosts events all over the United States and Canada. With over 40,000 drivers in its rosters, the NHRA claims to be the largest motorsport sanction ...

championships and more than 59 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 drove a 1963 Chevrolet and then a factory-sponsored A/FX

Mercury Comet The Mercury Comet is an automobile that was produced by Mercury from 1962–1969 and 1971–1977 — variously as either a compact or an intermediate car. For 1960 and 1961, Comet was its own brand sold by Lincoln-Mercury "Comet". The compact C ...

in 1964. In 1965, he drove an altered-Wheelbase Plymouth. He started the 1966 season in an injected, nitro-burning Barracuda Funny Car. Later he drove Plymouths in Pro Stock and had "Clinic" cars with Plymouths. Sox went on to drive a Mercury Comet in IHRA

Pro Modified Pro Modified, also known as Pro Mod, is a class or division in the sport of drag racing used in the NHRA and FIA (quarter-mile) and the Professional Drag Racers Association (PDRA) (eighth-mile). It is similar to the Top Doorslammer class as de ...

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.

Awards

He was inducted into the

Motorsports Hall of Fame of America The Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (MSHFA) is a hall of fame that honors motorsports competitors and contributors from the United States from all disciplines, with categories for Open Wheel, Stock Cars, Powerboats, Drag Racing, Motorcycles ...

in 2007, along with Buddy Martin.Ronnie Sox and Buddy Martin
at the

References

External links

Ronnie Sox page from the NHRA Top 50

Obituary at NHRA.com

MoparWiki on Ronnie Sox

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sox, Ronnie 1938 births 2006 deaths Racing drivers from North Carolina Sportspeople from Burlington, North Carolina Deaths from prostate cancer in the United States Dragster drivers Deaths from cancer in Virginia