Rahn Tobler, Crew Chief

Age:	45
Place of Residence:	Armada, Michigan
Position:	Crew Chief/Engine Builder

A native born Californian, Rahn Tobler grew up in Texas after his family moved there while he was still a youngster. Tobler got his start in racing with the Texas Top Fuel team of Stevens & Venables in 1971, working his way up from "tire-wiper" to mechanic in short order. He eventually earned os Top Fuel license in their car.

By 1976, he was working with Oklahoman Marvin Graham, the unknown who came to fame after winning the '74 U.S. Nationals, With Tobler making the tuning calls; the duo won the PDA championship in Top Fuel.

Tobler joined Shirley Muldowney's race team shortly thereafter, and played an integral role in guiding her to four world championship titles that includes a career best of 42 final round appearances with a total of 29 wins; 18 NHRA, 8 AHRA and 3 IHRA. 1n 1980 he received the S-K tool award for Mechanic of the Year in the Drag Racing category.

What had begun as a strictly working situation blossomed into a romantic relationship in 1980, with Tobler and Muldowney getting married in 1988.

After Shirley's career-threatening accident in 1984, Tobler was instrumental in her recovery, coaching her through months of difficult and painful physical therapy. She returned to competition in 1986, which culminated in her win at the NHRA Fall Nationals race in Phoenix in 1989. since the team decided to return to match-race competition in 1992, they have set numerous track records throughout the U.S. and Canada along with a record setting performance in Fuji, Japan in 1993. That track record still stands as Japan's quickest and fastest to date.

Their performance on the IHRA championship Series circuit starting in 1996, has delivered eight final round appearances with three wins, finishing in second place for the '96 season. Electing not to attend all of the events in 1997, they still finished third in the top ten, qualifying number one twice and setting two National Elapsed Time Records and four IHRA National Speed Records.

The team decided to concentrate mainly on the match-race circuit for most of the 1998 and 1999 seasons, setting four new track records. In their one and only IHRA appearance in 1998, at the Northern Nationals in Staton, Michigan, they ran the quickest and fastest times ever run in IHRA history, 4.69 elapsed time at 312.50mph. Qualifying number one, they finished that race in the runner-up position.