Sox was born in Burlington, North Carolina, where his family operated a Sinclair service station on Church Street. He was introduced to drag racing during the 1950s when the Police Club of Burlington began hosting amateur races at a local airport. Sox quickly demonstrated exceptional car control and mechanical instinct, and he began competing at tracks throughout North Carolina, building a regional reputation that would eventually carry him to the national stage.
Sox made an early impression on the national drag racing scene in the 1960s, becoming a widely recognized talent. In 1963 he drove a Chevrolet, and by 1964 he had secured factory sponsorship to pilot an A/FX Mercury Comet. The following year he moved to an altered-wheelbase Plymouth, part of the experimental factory builds that Chrysler was fielding to push the limits of class rules. In 1966, Sox drove an injected, nitro-burning Barracuda in the Funny Car class, demonstrating his willingness to adapt across multiple disciplines of drag racing.
The partnership between Ronnie Sox and team owner Buddy Martin became one of the most celebrated collaborations in drag racing history. The two men were initially rivals on the strip, but Martin concluded that Sox was simply too talented to beat and approached him about driving one of his cars. The move proved transformative for both. Under the Sox & Martin name, the team campaigned Plymouth machinery and achieved remarkable consistency at the highest levels of competition.
During the 1970–1972 "four-speed era" of Pro Stock — a period defined by the manual-gearbox regulations that rewarded a driver's precise shifting ability — Sox was the winningest Pro Stock driver in the class, recording nine victories in 23 events. His smooth, precise shifting technique was widely regarded as among the best in the sport. The team ran Plymouths and also operated "Clinic" cars, using demo vehicles to teach performance driving techniques to enthusiasts.
Over his career, Sox accumulated five NHRA national championships, a figure that placed him among the most accomplished drivers of his era. He was ranked 15th on the NHRA's official list of Top 50 Drivers from 1951 to 2000, a ranking that recognized his contributions across multiple decades of competition.
Later in his career Sox transitioned to driving a Mercury Comet in IHRA Pro Modified before eventually retiring from active competition. He was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2007, the year after his death, alongside his longtime partner Buddy Martin — a fitting posthumous honor that recognized both men together, as they had so often competed together.
Sox died of prostate cancer on April 22, 2006, in Richmond, Virginia, at the age of 67. His legacy endures as a defining figure of the early Pro Stock era, a period when driver skill — particularly the ability to shift a manual transmission with perfect timing at the tree — was the decisive factor in separating champions from contenders.