Mopar sends condolences to the family of legendary NHRA driver Ronnie Sox, who passed away on April 23 at the age of 67 after a battle with cancer. Arguably one of the best four-speed drivers in NHRA history, Sox was the long-time racing partner of Buddy Martin. Together, the pair made an assault on the NHRA, IHRA and AHRA drag racing circuit that is still revered today. The Sox and Martin team was a vital part of Mopar's NHRA drag racing history, helping to create the stature of the HEMI as the engine to beat on drag strips across the country.

Sox and Martin became a driving force in 1963, as they teamed up to become one of the most formidable pairs on the drag racing scene. Sox earned nine wins between 1970-1972 in the NHRA Pro Stock division. With four-speed driving skills that became part of NHRA lore, Sox also enjoyed driving his 1966 nitro burning HEMI Barracuda. He also earned six NHRA Super Stock victories between 1967-1969 driving his 1967 Hemi-powered Plymouth Belvedere II and his famous 1968 Hemi Barracuda Super Stocker.

The duo switched to Plymouth in 1965, where their radical entries were disallowed in A/FX competition by the NHRA. The team made history by recording the first-ever nine second run by a naturally aspirated machine at York U.S. 30 with a new Hilborn fuel-injection system by Chrysler. In 1967, the pair returned to the NHRA Super Stock ranks, where they quickly found a niche. Sox won the NHRA Springnationals three times between 1967-1970, as well as the 1968 and 1969 Nationals. He drove a variety of Super Stock Mopars, including a personal favorite 1968 HEMI Barracuda.

Sox and Martin, along with other notable racers such as Bill "Grumpy" Jenkins and "Dyno" Don Nicholson, lobbied to create the NHRA Pro Stock division in 1970, and in the first season, Sox won three of seven events. He earned victories in the Springnationals, the World Finals and the Supernationals. In 1971, the roll continued, as Sox picked up victories in the Winternationals, the Gatornationals, the Springnationals, the Grandnationals, the U.S. Nationals and the Supernationals. After those stellar seasons, the NHRA declared the Mopar Hemi-powered Pro Stockers too dominant and gave Ford and Chevy entries weight breaks. Those changes, along with the acceptance of the Lenco clutchless transmission in Pro Stock, marked the end of the dynamic duo's dominance in the class.

Sox and Martin continued to run Pro Stock and other classes in both NHRA and IHRA with Hemi-powered Dusters and Dodge Colt race cars before shutting their operation down in 1975. Sox competed in IHRA competition throughout the 1980s and 1990s, and made a brief return to the NHRA with racing partner Martin as the duo campaigned a Dodge Dakota in the Pro Stock Truck Series. For more information regarding Ronnie Sox, log on to nhra.com.

By Lachelle Seymour-NHRA

Mopar, a long-time sponsor of NHRA drag racing, has renewed its multi-year agreement with NHRA to continue as title-rights sponsor of the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series event held annually at Bandimere Speedway near Denver. With this extension, Mopar holds one of the longest continuous title rights sponsorships on the NHRA POWERade circuit.

The 27th annual Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals, July 14-16, 2006 is the 13th of 23 events in the $50 million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series. The event, which will be televised by ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD, is the first of a three-race western swing that always proves critical for NHRA teams chasing championships in all four professional categories.

"Strong relationships with major sponsors like Mopar have laid a foundation for continued growth of NHRA," said Gary Darcy, senior vice president, sales and marketing, NHRA. "We are proud of the long-standing partnership between Mopar, Bandimere Speedway and NHRA. Clearly this association speaks volumes to the value of sponsorship of NHRA."

Mopar also is the primary sponsor for multiple NHRA Pro Stock and Funny Car entries and drivers, including Gary Scelzi, Richie Stevens, Shaun Carlson and Allen Johnson.

Tickets are available for the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals. For more information, call (800) 664-UWIN, or log on to nhra.com or bandimere.com.