Richard "Toby" Tobias Jr. (born June 16, 1966) is an American racing driver and chassis builder. He has competed in the United States Auto Club and NASCAR national series.
| Toby Tobias Jr. | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | Richard Tobias Jr. June 16, 1966 Lebanon, Pennsylvania, U.S. | ||||||
| Championship titles | |||||||
| 1994 New York State Fair Champion[1][2] | |||||||
| NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series career | |||||||
| 3 races run over 2 years | |||||||
| 1995 position | 87th | ||||||
| Best finish | 87th (2016) | ||||||
| First race | 1994 SplitFire 200 (Dover) | ||||||
| Last race | 1995 MBNA 200 (Dover) | ||||||
| |||||||
| ARCA Menards Series East career | |||||||
| 2 races run over 1 year | |||||||
| |||||||
| Statistics up to date as of September 12, 2020. | |||||||
Racing career
editTobias began racing modifieds in his late teens on the short tracks of Central Pennsylvania, including Big Diamond, Nazareth, Williams Grove and Grandview Speedways.[3] In the mid-1990s, Tobias competed in the NASCAR Busch Series and NASCAR Busch North Series, yet also won a number of high-level dirt races in New York and Pennsylvania. In 1999, he began racing with the USAC Silver Crown Series, eventually appearing in 73 events over his career and claiming a win at Illinois State Fairgrounds in Du Quoin.[4]
Speedway Entertainment
editTobias also maintained the family business, Tobias Speed Equipment Inc., and in 1999 developed the Slingshot cars for use at local dirt tracks.[4] In 2002, production of the Slingshot was transferred to a separate company, Speedway Entertainment, and in 2008 the SpeedSTR was introduced.[5]
The Slingshot is a four-coil vehicle with a 58-inch wheelbase, designed to look like a northeast dirt modified and powered by a 600cc Briggs & Stratton Vanguard engine capable of speeds near 100 MPH.[5][6]
The SpeedSTR is a 1,250-pound open wheel car with a 72-inch wheelbase—essentially a self-starting Midget. Originally powered by a 250 horsepower Dodge Neon engine, the division has transitioned to the K20 C1 Honda Turbo.[5][6][7]
Action Track USA
editIn 2013, Tobias and former racer Doug Rose acquired the quarter-mile clay raceway in Kutztown, Pennsylvania, from the Meitzler family and gave the raceway a new name: Action Track USA. The track features the SpeedSTR, wingless 600cc micro sprints, 270 micro sprints and Slingshots during the racing season.[8]
Personal life
editTobias is the son of the former NASCAR driver Toby Tobias Sr. Tobias Jr. followed his father, brothers Ronnie and Scott, and brother-in-law Paul Lotier into racing. Tobias Sr. was fatally injured in a USAC sprint car race, Scott and Paul were severely and permanently injured in racing accidents, and Ronnie died of a heart attack while racing.[9] Nephew Paul Lotier Jr. later became the third generation involved in racing as co-owner of a sprint car.[10]
In 2017, Tobias was honored by the Northeast Dirt Modified Hall of Fame for his engineering and car building leadership.[5]
Motorsports career results
editNASCAR
edit(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)
Busch Series
edit| NASCAR Busch Series results | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Team | No. | Make | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | NBSC | Pts | Ref |
| 1994 | 50 | Ford | DAY | CAR | RCH | ATL | MAR | DAR | HCY | BRI | ROU | NHA | NZH DNQ |
CLT | DOV | MYB | GLN | MLW DNQ |
SBO | TAL | HCY | IRP | MCH | BRI | DAR | RCH | DOV 38 |
CLT | MAR | CAR | 102nd | 49 | [11] | |
| 1995 | Tobias Racing | 58 | Ford | DAY | CAR | RCH | ATL | NSV | DAR | BRI | HCY | NHA | NZH | CLT | DOV 40 |
MYB | GLN | MLW | TAL | SBO | IRP | MCH | BRI | DAR | RCH | DOV 32 |
CLT | CAR | HOM | 87th | 110 | [12] | ||
Busch North Series
editReferences
edit- ↑ Hill, John (September 1, 1995). "Fair race has had its moments". The Post-Standard. Syracuse NY. p. C6. Retrieved February 10, 2024 – via NewspaperArchive.
- ↑ "New York State Fairgrounds: Touring Series and Major Events". The Third Turn. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
- ↑ "Toby Tobias, Jr. – Career results by series". The Third Turn. Retrieved June 27, 2025.
- 1 2 "Tobais, a familiar name, returns to the place of father's exploits". The Morning Call. Allentown PA. July 16, 1999. Retrieved September 12, 2020.
- 1 2 3 4 Swanson, Buffy (June 9, 2017). "Rich Tobias Jr. To Be Honored as Hall of Fame Mechanic". Race Pro Weekly. Retrieved September 12, 2020.
- 1 2 "Speedway Entertainment Offers Affordable Racing That is Both Exciting and Competitive" (Press release). Speedway Entertainment. July 28, 2010. Retrieved July 2, 2025 – via K&N Engineering.
- ↑ Smith, Deb (2024). "Action Track USA announces new naming rights sponsor at motorsports show". Action Track USA. Retrieved July 2, 2025.
- ↑ Kane, Randy (May 14, 2013). "Former Kutztown Fairgrounds track gets fresh start". The Morning Call. Allentown PA. Retrieved September 12, 2020.
- ↑ Boyd, Lew (2017). Toby: The Star-Crossed Story of an American Racing Family. Coastal 181. ISBN 978-0998862521.
- ↑ Murphy, Richie (June 8, 2019). "Tobias legacy rides on at Eastern Storm". FloSports. Retrieved August 25, 2024.
- ↑ "Toby Tobias, Jr. – 1994 NASCAR Busch Grand National Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC.
- ↑ "Toby Tobias, Jr. – 1995 NASCAR Busch Grand National Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC.
- ↑ "Toby Tobias, Jr. - 1994 Busch North Series results". Racing Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved September 12, 2020.
External links
edit- Toby Tobias Jr. driver statistics at Racing-Reference