Powering the
Pursuit of Speed
Sox & Martin were a well-known drag racing duo in the 1960s, competing in the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) and other major drag racing events.
Herb McCandless, Sr. started drag racing in 1959 at the age of 16. He was immediately hooked on doing battle down the drag strip against other racers. Juggling a full-time job at a print shop while drag racing, Herb spent many long hours pursuing his dreams while making a living.
By 1963, Herb was racing a 409 Chevy and had the urge to go even faster. He purchased an engine from Don Nicholson and had Bill Jenkins set up the carburetors. For the next two years, Herb was racing at tracks all over the south racking up wins.
While at the drag strip, Herb met John Moore, the assistant regional manager for Chrysler/Plymouth. John approached Herb about driving a four-speed equipped HEMI Belvedere Super Stocker and Herb replied, “I can drive a four-speed anything!” Despite being 21 and still living at home, Herb was able to finance through his local dealer and purchase a brand new 1965 Super Stock HEMI Belvedere. Once Herb got the car sorted out, he headed west for the NHRA Winternationals and won the A-Stock Four-Speed class. It was at this point the “Mr. 4 Speed” nickname was born as Herb earned the reputation for shifting a manual transmission very quickly and as seamlessly as an automatic while making the manual trans more efficient in its operation. Moving forward, Herb became a diehard Chrysler racer and campaigned many HEMI-powered machines to numerous wins across the country.
Quickly earning a reputation as a top-notch four-speed driver with great reflexes and tuning skills, Buddy Martin of Sox & Martin approached Herb to drive the team’s 1968 440-powered Plymouth GTX at the 1968 NHRA Winternationals in which he again won the class. Herb then decided to quit his ‘real job’ and race full-time for a living.
For the next two years, Herb wheeled his personal 1968 HEMI Dart while becoming a ‘hired gun’ for other car owners and teams. With the advent of NHRA’s Pro Stock class in 1970, and Plymouth increasing their sponsorship demands on Sox & Martin, the team needed another full-time driver for their new HEMI Duster. Buddy Martin placed a call to Herb to see if he’d like to join the team. Before Buddy could even hang up, Herb and his wife Maria, were packing and heading to Sox & Martin’s shop in Carolina for a new life. Herb would win many races driving for Sox & Martin including the 1970 NHRA U.S. Nationals.
Throughout the 1970s, Herb worked with Chrysler on their new ‘Direct Connection’ parts program by doing numerous tests on prototype parts that would eventually be refined and offered to Sportsman/Grassroots drag racers. Herb would also go on to open ‘McCandless Performance,’ one of the first Direct Connection Performance Parts dealers in the country.
Herb’s immense knowledge, combined with his friendly and approachable personality, has helped thousands of Mopar enthusiasts worldwide make their vehicles run faster. Today, Herb can’t keep still and every day can be found in his shop working on an assortment of vintage cars that drives daily. Herb also has his hands in the hobby by attending several shows and races throughout the year.
Powering the