Sox & Martin: The Most Famous Team in Drag Racing

by Jim Schild

Overview

As the sport of drag racing exploded in the 1950s, two youngsters from North Carolina each rose through the ranks racing Chevrolets. It didn't take long for one of them to realize that if you couldn't beat him it may be best to join him. Buddy Martin approached Ronnie Sox about campaigning a 1963 Z-11 Chevy; and with that partnership, the most dominant duo in the history of drag racing was formed.

Sox & Martin: The Most Famous Team in Drag Racing is a comprehensive archival recap of straight-line racing's greatest duo. Historic and modern imagery recapture the celebrated Plymouth race cars campaigned by Ronnie and Buddy throughout their legendary partnership. Also chronicled are the lesser-known Oldsmobile, Ford, Pontiac, Chevrolet, and Mercury mounts predating their time with Chrysler. The races, the cars, the events; all of it is covered here during this golden age of drag racing.

Author Jim Schild, with the help of Buddy Martin, Herb McCandless, Jake King, Diane Sox, Dave Christie, and others, has created the most exhaustive, authentic review of the illustrious drag racing career of Sox & Martin. Add this title to your racing library today.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781613254783
Publisher:	CarTech, Incorporated
Publication date:	05/15/2018
Pages:	178
Sales rank:	544,661
Product dimensions:	8.50(w) x 11.00(h) x 0.38(d)

About the Author

Jim Schild has been interested in automobiles all of his life and has spent the past 55 years working on, building, and driving them. He has written 24 books and numerous magazine articles on cars and racing, and is considered an authority on the 1962–1969 maximum-performance Dodge and Plymouth.

Table of Contents

Table Of Contents: Acknowledgments 6 Introduction 7 Chapter 1: The Beginning Ronnie Sox 9 Buddy Martin 15 Sox & Martin Racing 16 Move to Mercury 18 Racing in 1964 22 Move to Chrysler 25 Chapter 2: 1965–1967 Chrysler Super Stock and Funny Cars 1965 A/FX Program 27 The Rush to Compete 29 The First Super Stock Nationals 34 Match Racer to Funny Car 36 New Super Stock Package 39 Back to Stock 42 1967 Racing Events 44 Chapter 3: 1968–1969 Super Stock Domination The Importance of Team Image 49 Clinic Popularity 51 The Winternationals 54 Two Road Runners and a Barracuda 55 The A-Body Terror 57 1968 Drag Racing Season 59 1969 Drag Racing Season 65 The Birth of Pro Stock 70 Chapter 4: 1970–1972 Pro Stock 4-Speed Era Sox & Martin, Inc. 73 Changes for 1970 74 The E-Body Hemi Pro Stock 75 1970 Pro Stock Competition 78 New Power For 1971 83 1971 Pro Stock Domination 85 Rules Changes for 1972 92 1972 Meets from Coast to Coast 94 Hemi Duster Number Two 99 Buddy Martin Steps Up 103 Chapter 5: 1973–1975 Pro Stock Evolution Chrysler Engineering Innovation 105 1973 Racing Results 106 Hemi Duster Number Three 108 Big Changes for 1974 113 The Dodge Hemi Colt 115 The Split 120 To Race Again? 121 1975 Racing Highlights 123 Chapter 6: 1976–1998 Changes in Relationships Ronnie Goes It Alone 125 Together Again in Dodges 127 1979 Racing Highlights 130 1980 Results 132 1981 Season in a Mustang 133 Forced Retirement in 1982 135 Jump to a Camaro 135 Nostalgia Takes Over 138 Racing the Comet Replica 139 Another Reunion in 1995 145 The Crash 148 The Team Goes Truckin’ 150 Ronnie on His Own Again 155 Chapter 7: The Continuing Legacy A Devastating Diagnosis 159 The Ronnie Sox Foundation 162 Appreciation of the Legacy 164 The Race Cars that Keep on Racing 167 Model Cars and Commemoratives 170 The Digital Universe 172 Index 174

Editorial Reviews

"We were expecting something really good here. We weren't disappointed."

Hemmings Muscle Machines

"Jim never fails to impress us, but this time, he's truly gone above and beyond the call of duty."

Mopar Collector's Guide

Impressively informative and exceptionally well organized and presented, Sox & Martin is a ‘must read’ for all drag racing enthusiasts and will prove to be an enduringly popular addition to personal, community, and academic library automotive history reference collections.

Midwest Book Review - James Cox

Sox & Martin: The Most Famous Team in Drag Racing is a well-done biography of one of the most significant teams in Drag Racing history and it is something that anyone with an interest in motorsports should really enjoy.

Area Auto Racing News - Herb Anastor

"A true tribute to the Ronnie and the Sox and Martin team."

The Times-News, Burlington, NC - Don Bolden

"Filled with plenty of fresh photos, it's a nice drive down drag racing's memory lane."

Mark Wiggintonn Car Collector

"Filled with plenty of fresh photos, it's a nice drive down drag racing's memory lane."

American Car Collector - Mark Wigginton