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| Dick "Toby" Tobias |
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| (DIRT Motorsports Photo) |
The Tobias Racing Tradition...
began when Dick "Toby" Tobias won the first race he ever entered, at the now defunct Hilltop
Speedway in Myerstown, PA. The racer simply known as "Toby" would go on to tally an estimated 300 victories
during his racing career, which spanned from 1950 to 1978. An amazing 90 features were won at the Reading Fairgrounds
alone.
Along the way, Tobias showed his versatility, winning on both dirt
and pavement. His impressive list of wins and track championships came from behind the wheel of dirt modifieds,
sprint cars, and super modifieds. Other notable starts came in Salt Walther's USAC Silver Crown car,
the 1974 Daytona Modified Road Race, and several USAC Stock Car races.
Tobias' on-track accomplishments often overshadow what he did off
of the track; where he fulfilled the roles of business owner, promoter, designer, and fabricator. In 1961, Dick and
his wife Mary founded Tobias Speed Equipment in their home town of Lebanon, PA. It was there that Toby developed the
first mass-produced tubular stock car chassis and revolutionized dirt modified racing. Under Toby's management,
Tobias Speed Equipment would grow to become the World's highest volume speed shop. In addition to running the family
owned business, Tobias also promoted racing events at Penn National Speedway.
- 1950 - Won his first race ever entered, Hilltop
Speedway.
- 1951 to 1954 - Served in the United States Navy.
- 1958 - Was so successful at Nazareth Speedway that
his fellow competitors successfully petitioned for his expulsion. Assisted an up and coming Mario Andretti.
- 1959 - Port Royal Track Champion.
- 1960 - Port Royal Track Champion, second place
in the "Langhorne Classic".
- 1961 - 14 feature wins, second place in the "Langhorne
Classic". Founded Tobias Speed Equipment, which would grow to be the largest volume speed shop in the world.
- 1963 - Williams Grove and Selinsgrove Track Champion.
- 1964 - 38 feature wins, Williams Grove and Selinsgrove
Track Champion.
- 1965 - Won 5 consecutive features during first
year at the Reading Fairgrounds. Teamed with Davey Brown and developed the first tubular stock car chassis.
First asphalt win at Hershey Stadium.
- 1966 - Won 14 features, Reading Fairgrounds and
Harmony Speedway Track Champion.
- 1967 - Reading Fairgrounds Track Champion, 2nd
in points at Hershey Stadium.
- 1968 - Third consecutive Track Championship at
Reading Fairgrounds. Honored with "Dick Tobias" Night.
- 1969 - Won his first sprint car race, Reading Fairgrounds. 7
URC sprint car wins in 11 starts.
- 1970 - Named USAC "Rookie of the Year", won one
USAC sprint car race (Williams Grove). Began mass-production of the Tobias tubular modified chassis, credited with
being the first mass produced tubular stock car chassis. First USAC Silver Crown (Champ Car) start.
- 1971 - Won USAC sprint car races at Reading Fairgrounds,
Terre Haute, and Knoxville, Iowa. Ran the NASCAR 500 at Dover Speedway. Set new sprint car track record at Williams
Grove.
- 1972 - AMT (a Division of Ertl Toy Company) releases
plastic dirt modified model kits, featuring replica Tobias Modified Chassis.
- 1973 - Won 20 dirt modified features. Reading
Fairground's "Daniel Boone 200" winner.
- 1974 - Won 8 features at Reading Fairgrounds.
- 1975 - Syracuse "Schaefer 100" pole and race winner. New
York State Fair "Labor Day Championship" winner. Reading Fairgrounds Track Champion. 20 feature wins, including
2 sprint car races at Reading Fairgrounds.
- 1976 - Won 10 dirt modified features. Reading
Fairground's "Daniel Boone 200" winner. Syracuse's "Schaefer 100" pole winner.
- 1977 - Won 6 Reading Fairgrounds features.
Syracuse's "Schaefer 100" pole winner.
- 1978 - Won USAC sprint car features at the Indianapolis State
Fairgrounds and Terre Haute's "Tony Hulman Classic" (televised on ABC's Wide World of Sports). Syracuse's Super DIRT Week
Pole Position Award named after Dick "Toby" Tobias.
- 1980 - Inducted into the York County Racing Club's
Hall of Fame.
- 1981 - Inducted into the Pennsylvania Sports Hall
of Fame.
- 1992 - Charter member in the DIRT Motorsports Hall
of Fame.
- 1997 - Inducted into the National Sprint Car Hall
of Fame.
- 2001 - Named one of the "Top-25 All-Time Greatest
Dirt Modified Drivers" by Area Auto Racing News.
- 2003 - Nutmeg Collectibles releases a 1/64 scale
die-cast replica of Dick Tobias' #17 Tobias Speed Equipment modified coupe. Tobias Speed Equipment closes after
42 years of business.
- 2004 - Inducted into the Auto Racing Club of Hagerstown Hall
of Fame.
- 2005 - Named as the 9th "Most Popular Driver of All-Time" by USAC. The "New" Reading Fairgrounds names
Pole Position Award after Dick "Toby" Tobias.
Dick "Toby" Tobias lost his life in a sprint car flip on June 23, 1978, during
a USAC race at New Jersey's Flemington Speedway. Since that day, his memory has been honored by the racing community
and the Tobias Racing Tradition has continued...
| Ronnie Tobias |
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| (Family Affairs Photo) |
Ronnie Tobias was
the oldest of Dick's three sons and in 1974 became the first to race. Ronnie had an accomplished career, spanning
25 years, until succumbing to a fatal heart attack on September 6, 1998. Along with driving the familiar blue Tobias
Speed Equipment #17 dirt modified, he also competed in the Hassler Brother's #3, WAGO #1240, the Lutz & Ritter Racing
#44, MXL 12, Barnett's 555, and Carl Davis' #59, 100, and 260. Like his father, Ronnie was a master fabricator
at Tobias Speed Equipment.
- 1974 - Began racing dirt modifieds at the Reading
Fairgrounds.
- 1975 - Youngest driver to win a dirt modified feature
at the Reading Fairgrounds, age 19.
- 1978 - Raced his father's #17 Tobias Speed Equipment
dirt modified at Syracuse's "Schaefer 100".
- 1986 - 2nd at Fulton Speedway's "Victoria 200".
- 1986 - Penn National Speedway's "Lebanon Valley
100" winner.
- 1987 - Penn National Speedway's "Lebanon Valley
100" winner.
- 1988 - 4th at Fulton Speedway's "Victoria 200".
- 1991 - 3rd at Fulton Speedway's "Victoria 200".
- 1992 - Penn National Speedway's "Lebanon Valley
100" winner.
- 2004 - Inducted into the Pennsylvania Sports Hall
of Fame.
- 95 career feature wins, including victories at Susquehanna,
Port Royal, Fulton, East Windsor, Reading, Penn National, Grandview, Bridgeport, Delaware International, and Sea
Coast Speedways.
- Track Championships at Penn National, Grandview,
Port Royal, Bridgeport, and Sea Coast Speedways.
Ronnie's own son, Ronnie Jr., has himself become a winning Slingshot by Tobias
and micro-sprint racer.
| Scott Tobias |
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| (Family Affairs Photo) |
Scott Tobias
was the first of the Tobias brothers to venture into the sprint car arena. Although he was a winning dirt modified driver,
Scott excelled in the open wheeled machines. He was a regular winner and a member of the famed "Pennsylvania Posse",
before he suffered career ending head injuries at the age of 26 while racing at Port Royal Speedway on June 28, 1986. Besides
piloting the #17 Tobias Speed Equipment sprinter, he also chauffeured the Hardees #880 and Walt Dyer's famous #461 "Brick
Mobile". Scott is credited with designing the Tobias "Taxi" dirt modified chassis that dominated racing in the late
1980's and early 90's.
- 1980 - 4th place finish at the Syracuse World of Outlaws "Super
Nationals" sprint car race.
- 1985 - Time trialed 4th quick for Syracuse's "Schaefer 200".
- 5 career feature wins at Williams Grove Speedway.
- 6 career feature wins at Port Royal Speedway.
- An estimated 75 career victories.
| Rich "Toby" Tobias, Jr. |
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| #17 USAC Silver Crown Car. (Al Consoli Photo) |
Rich Tobias Jr.,
began racing in 1984 at Silver Spring Speedway. He quickly climbed the charts as one of Pennsylvania's hottest
young small-block dirt modified drivers; winning at Grandview, Big Diamond, Penn National, and Susquehanna Speedways.
Catching the eye of New Jersey based big block modified owner, Clint Harrell, Rich would go on to beat the best in the DIRT
Motorsports ranks in the Harrell Trucking # 35. His exciting driving style has earned him the right to drive for
other top modified teams; including the Romeo Racing #44JR, Bowman Racing #78, and Bob Lineman's USA1.
Following in his famous father's footsteps, Rich won
Syracuse's prestigious Super DIRT Week Dirt Modified Championship in 1992 (formerly the "Schaefer 100"). They
are the only father-son combination to have achieved this feat.
Tobias raced with the highly competitive and nationally
recognized NASCAR Busch Series in 1993 and 1994.
Rich, often referred to as "Toby", made the move to join
the USAC ranks in 1999. Toby built his own team, with the backing of Rotondo Weirich, and designed his own Silver
Crown cars. Tobias was named the "Rookie of the Race" at the Illinois State Fairgrounds and DuQuoin, Ill.
During the same year Tobias, a noted chassis builder and fabricator, developed the Slingshot by Tobias Racing Series
and established a business relationship with Briggs & Stratton Power Products. One hundred Slingshot race
cars sold during their inaugural season.
Rich "Toby" Tobias, Jr. had a breakout year in USAC Silver
Crown competition in 2002. After recording 4 top-10 finishes, he was named the Series "Most Improved Driver".
The RW Motorsports Team would finish 9th in the Championship Points.
2003 would see Rich join his father in the USAC record books,
capturing his first USAC win at DuQuoin, Ill.'s "Ted Horn Memorial 100". The victory was made extra
special as his Silver Crown car carried a special commemorative paint scheme and the famous Tobias #17 to mark the
25th anniversary of his father's death. Briggs & Stratton became a corporate sponsor of the RW Motorsports Team,
as the Slingshots continued to sell at an average rate of 100 new cars per year. Nearly 500 of the spec. racers
now exist.
During Rich's continuing USAC career, he has competed successfully
against the likes of NASCAR regulars Tony Stewart, Ryan Newman, Carl Edwards, Ken Schrader, Jason Leffler, Kasey Kahne, Mike
Bliss, J.J. Yeley, and Tracey Hines.
2004 marked Rich's 20th year as a professional race car driver.
- 1984 - Began racing at Silver Springs Speedway.
- 1987 - First dirt modified victory.
- 1989 - 4th fastest qualifier at Syracuse's Super
DIRT Week. 2nd place finish at Fulton Speedway's "Victoria 200". DIRT Motorsport's "Florida Winter Tour"
Race winner at Volusia County Speedway.
- 1990 - May 6, named DIRT Motorsports "Driver of
the Week". Big Diamond Speedway's Van Skoy "Coal Cracker" Championship winner. Qualifier's race winner at Syracuse's
Super DIRT Week. Pole sitter for the last dirt race at the historical Flemington Speedway.
- 1991 - Delaware Speedway's "Delaware State
Championship" winner.
- 1992 - Syracuse's Super DIRT Week Modified Championship
winner.
- 1993 - Begins two year stint racing with the
NASCAR Busch North Division. Susquehanna Speedway's "Susquehanna Valley 100" winner. 5th fastest qualifier
at Syracuse's Super DIRT Week.
- 1994 - New York State Fair "Labor Day Championship"
winner. White Rose Collectibles (a Division of Matchbox Toys) releases a 1/64 scale die-cast replica of Rich Tobias,
Jr.'s #35 Council Harrell Trucking DIRT modified.
- 1999 - First year competing in USAC Silver
Crown Series competition. USAC "Rookie of the Race" at the Illinois State Fairgrounds and DuQuoin, Ill. Developed
the Slingshot by Tobias Racing Series.
- 2001 - 3 top five USAC finishes. Suzuki "Triple
20's" Qualifier's race winner at Syracuse's Super DIRT Week. 8 Hour Endurance Kart Championship at Briggs &
Stratton's Road America. Founded Speedway Entertainment.
- 2002 - USAC's "Most Improved Driver", 9th place
finish in USAC Silver Crown Series points. 4 top-10 finishes, including runner-up finish at the Indiana State Fairground's "Hoosier
100".
- 2003 - First USAC Silver Crown win at DuQuoin,
Ill.'s "Ted Horn Memorial 100". Runner-up finishes at the Indiana State Fairground's "Hoosier 100" and Syracuse's
"Salt City 100". Outside pole winner at Syracuse's "Salt City 100". 7th place finish in the USAC Silver Crown
Series points. Ran his first USAC sprint car race at Eldora Speedway. Briggs & Stratton becomes
official sponsor of the RW Motorsports Racing Team.
- 2004 - 20th year of racing professionally. Runner-up finishes
at Springfield's "Tony Bettenhausen 100" and at Tulsa, Oklahoma. 4th place finish at Eldora Speedway.
8th place finish in the USAC Silver Crown Series points. 8th place finish at Syracuse's Super DIRT Week in the Lineman
Racing big-block modified.
- 2006 Started the season aboard the RW Motorsports
# 17 USAC Silver Crown ride.Ran competitively at Homestead and RIR until mechanical failures set in. A 6th place finish at
Super Dirt Week 35 aboard the Cenco Heating Oil USA-1 modified owned by Slingshot supporter Bob Lineman. Rich was running
as high as 2nd during the middle stages of the event.
- In mid 2006 Rich creates the SpeedSTR a MOPAR powered
midget-style open-wheeler and starts testing at various size speedways,both dirt and asphalt.
- 2007 Super Dirt Week XXXVI.Rich takes the Lineman
Cenco Heating USA1 to a podium finish of 3rd.
- 2008 Winner of the Atlantic City Gambler's Classic
Slingshot "A" Main Donating All Winnings to the Fragile X Foundation
- An estimated 100 career victories.
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