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.
The man who was instrumental in making Ronnie Sox fast was Jake King. Born John Preston King in Burlington, North Carolina, his high school teachers would call him “J.P.” but everyone else just called him “Jake.” Jake grew up on a farm, but his father and uncle operated a small garage. It was here that Jake began working on cars at an early age. Jake eventually honed his mechanical skills and learned the importance of being detailed and not rushing, traits he’d carry for the rest of his career. Jake learned the importance of being meticulous when assembling an engine. His attention to being thorough along with the insistence of having a spotless build room, proved invaluable to the success of his engines and how they performed.
Before being recruited by Sox & Martin in 1964, Jake drove Super Stock Fords and had many wins on drag strip across the south. This is probably why virtually all of the HEMI engines in the Sox & Martin race cars were painted ‘Ford Blue.’ While he enjoyed driving race cars, Jake’s true passion was still building high-horsepower engines and applying new technologies to each build.
When Sox & Martin began running HEMI-powered Plymouths in 1965, Jake traveled to Detroit and attended many tech seminars put on by Tom Hoover and other Chrysler engineers on the intricacies of the new 426 HEMI engine. Being the quick learner he was, Jake applied his skills and assembled some of the fastest HEMI engines which gave the Sox & Martin team and their customers, numerous wins in Super Stock and Pro Stock competition for almost 10 years.
In 1971, Jake’s talents were recognized when he received the Car Craft Magazine All-Star Racing Team Mechanic of the Year award.
Jake’s biggest love in his life was his wife Virginia and their three daughters. After the Sox & Martin team disbanded in the late 1970s, Jake opened a small, two-bay garage Gulf service center in Burlington. Now that his traveling days were over, Jake spent more while time with his family and enjoying life. Jake passed away in his sleep in July of 1995, just one month after he was inducted into the Super Stock Magazine Hall of Fame.
Powering the