Ronnie Sox
Encyclopedia
Drag racing
Drag racing is a competition in which specially prepared automobiles or motorcycles compete two at a time to be the first to cross a set finish line, from a standing start, in a straight line, over a measured distance, most commonly a ¼-mile straight track....
.
His family ran an Esso
Esso
Esso is an international trade name for ExxonMobil and its related companies. Pronounced , it is derived from the initials of the pre-1911 Standard Oil, and as such became the focus of much litigation and regulatory restriction in the United States. In 1972, it was largely replaced in the U.S. by...
service station near Burlington, North Carolina
Burlington, North Carolina
Burlington is a city in Alamance and Guilford counties in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the principal city of the Burlington, North Carolina Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Alamance County, in which most of the city is located. The population was 49,963 at the 2010...
, 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
National Hot Rod Association
The National Hot Rod Association is a drag racing governing body, which sets rules in drag racing and host events all over the United States and Canada...
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 later went on to drive a Mercury Comet in IHRA Pro Modified
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 the American Drag Racing League .-Overview:...
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.