1969 Powershift
"There are no absolutes in life, but the claim that Ronnie Sox was the greatest four-speed driver that ever lived comes pretty close." That's how John Jodauga introduced Sox into his number 15 slot on NHRA's 2001 list of 50 Top Drivers, long before life's one absolute caught up with this legendary drag racer. Ronnie Sox left us to cancer on April 22 at 67 years old. The good news is that, by all accounts, Sox spent his last year marveling at the input from his fans nationwide, seemingly having been previously unaware of the truly deep impact that his drag racing career had on people.
Ronnie spent his early years running Oldsmobiles before his 13-year Sox & Martin partnership with Buddy Martin began with a '63 Z-11 Chevy. They added engine builder Jake King and ran a factory A/FX Comet in 1964. Then came the legendary string of red, white, and blue Plymouths from altered-wheelbase A/FXers to Stockers to Pro Stockers. The team took countless wins and became stars of NHRA and match-race circuits while Ronnie conducted performance clinics at Plymouth dealerships. The guy was pure class.
Rather than honor him with a photo of one of the famous race cars, we used this outtake from a Motor Trend shoot at the 1969 NHRA Nats showing Ronnie doing what he did best, grabbing gears at the wheel of the '68 Hemi Cuda.
In a 2001 NHRA interview, Sox said, "I'm certainly glad that I was able to race at a time that I did. Today's racing technology has diminished the role of the driver way too much. Back in the days of four-speeds, the driver had a lot more to do with the outcome of the race, and I can't imagine anything being more fun than that." Amen, and farewell.-David Freiburger