Today, Tobias cuts laps on the grader and while it’s not as exciting as racing, he says he enjoys the challenge of preparing a smooth, dustless track, as the Kutztown facility is in the middle of town.
“It’s a lot easier than racing. Running a professional sporting event is a bit stressful but track prep is the therapy part of it,” he explained. “I’m self-taught but I’ve learned from watching and listening to others. There’s no comparison between the sense of satisfaction in winning a race and having a big night at the Action Track, but over the long run, you have more potential to make money promoting than racing.”
When asked if he has any complaints about racing today, Tobias first shakes his head, then reconsiders.
“Yes. With the cost of cars and everything else, guys like my father, Kenny Brightbill, Jack Johnson and other stars of the past who started out with no money couldn’t get into racing today,” Tobias said. “And I think the sport did a bad job of bringing new guys in a few years ago and now we’re paying the price.
“I’m trying to get new blood into the sport with the SpeedSTRs and Slingshots. Everything I build is made to last and I never change anything on the cars. No updates to keep up with to be able to win. That way, the initial price is good and they hold their resale value, too. Even with that, we do three times the business the old Tobias Speed Shop ever did.”
Besides the fabrication side of the business, Tobias also enjoys seeing kids start out in the small cars and advance to the modifieds.
“I love working with the kids in the Slingshots,” he noted. “Some good racers have come out of there — Anthony Perrego, Demetrious Drellos, Mike Mahaney, Billy Pauch Jr., Bobby Hackel IV, Tyler Dippel — because they learn how to race, not just go fast. There’s a big psychological factor in our sport and I try to get them started right.”
The next group Richie Tobias has his sights set on are “techies,” youngsters with great computer skills but little interest in cars.
“We’re putting a lot of money into developing a battery-powered Charger by Tobias Slingshot to attract new people to the sport, guys who are game and tech oriented,” Tobias explained. “They’ll be able to adjust the car with cellphones or laptops and if it works the way we plan, it will be a very economical way to race.
“The cars will have the same cells as a Tesla and they’ll be good for 2,500 cycles. That should be forever with the short distance our races are. We’re not sure if it will draw spectators, as there’s no noise, but I’ve had the techies to the Action Track and they were all in on the competition side.”
While he says he may be “shooting himself in the foot,” Tobias feels strongly that racing must evolve to survive.
This story appeared in the Dec. 28 edition of the SPEED SPORT Insider.
