[1]Ronnie lines up in the '68. The 4-Speed knows what's coming.
If there is someone better than Ronnie Sox at rowing a 4-speed, we’d like to see it. In this video, Ronnie gives a demo of his 4-speed prowess in a restored ’68 Barracuda Sox & Martin drag car, and it was shot nearly 20 years after the Barracuda was first built. What does that mean to the average Joe? Well Joe, that means that even after he was no longer actively racing, Ronnie Sox could still powershift better than you could.
In the video you’ll hear it more than you see it. He never lifts his foot off the throttle until he’s past the timing lights at the end. Even more impressive is that the Barracuda appears to get a little squirrely on launch and is hugging the left side of the track, close to the wall. Does Ronnie lift? Of course not. Wimps would pull off the throttle in a restored race car, but not Ronnie. Hammer down and pull the lever, right?
While the ’68 Barracuda is now likely in private hands, another famous Sox and Martin drag car is now headed to the January 26-30, 2011 Mecum auction in Kissimmee, FL [2]. This one is a ’71 Cuda equipped with a full 426 race HEMI, dual-plug cylinder heads and all.
Ronnie got 14 wins in it during the 1971 NHRA season including the Super Nationals. It represents the last of it’s kind of race car as weight allowances in the rules (and the discontinuation of the Hemi) led to tube frame chassis cars with small blocks becoming the norm and leaving “factory” style Pro Stock cars like this one to become pieces of the past. We miss those days.
Enjoy the video, and take a few pointers while you’re at it.