I had not been out to the track but a couple of times this season so far as I had been out of town a lot. I keep myself posted on the finishes out at the speedway regardless if I am there or not and when I saw that Robb had won the past 2 weeks in a row, I could not miss one more week. I had to do a story on this driver.
In addition to the past 2 wins, this is the 4th week in a row that Robb has set fast time. Back on May 11th, he set a new track record of 16.960. To say the least, this driver will give our current top drivers here a run for their money. And that is not to underestimate the ability of the contenders out here at Evergreen Speedway. Robb has his work cut out for him with the likes of Tom Moriarity (3 time Super Stock Champion in 1996, 1999 and 2001. Moriarity also won the Great West Region in 2001), John Bender (1 time champion in 2000, Raybestos Brakes NW Tour 2001 Rookie of the Year and current point leader), and John Zaretzke (1 time season champion in 1998). The competition will be stiff out here this year and exciting to watch.
Robb has lived in Lake Stevens pretty much most of this life. Graduated from high school and currently resides here. He is self-employed and quite the entrepreneur, and yes ladies, very much single. But in his words, “Taking applications!”. So best get out to Evergeen Speedway and keep an eye on this man. If nothing else, you will get the ‘ride of your life’ just watching these contenders race for the gold and championship this season.
This will be Robb’s 5th year racing in the Super Stock division. He does plan to complete the full year here. The past couple of years he started out here, but did not race a full season. With the accidents that happened and car problems, he just did not get out for the whole season. Robb raced modified before going to the super stocks and did that for 1 year. So he is quite young in the sport when compared to many who have been in the racing arena most of their lives. That makes his success, and it seems ‘natural’ ability to drive, even more intriguing.
Robb has 3 sisters and 1 brother. One of his sisters lives in New York, one in Nebraska, and one in California. His brother is somewhere in the area. His father, Roger, is and always has been, very much a part of Robb’s life and driving career. Every time I have been out to the pits to visit the drivers and stop at the Touchette pit area, his father is right there every single time.
Robb’s crew consists of Jesse Jensen, Crew Chief, Roger Touchette, Robin Watkins, Lucky Spitzer, and Paul Prouty. I asked if his mother ever came out and he said, “Sometimes, but she gets nervous when I race, so not all the time. But she is a great help. She puts together some great Pit Crew lunches!” (All adamantly agreed!) The crew has a lot of fun with what they do together, and that is so obvious. They are all very welcoming when I come into the area and make me feel so at home. Robb states, “What makes this such a great crew, is that we are not only crew members, but we are the best of friends, on and off the track. We do things together that are not race related, as well. We just have a lot of fun in whatever we do.”
When I asked Robb what he hopes to accomplish this year, besides the obvious of season champion, he said, “Well, it is going to be a tough year, regardless, we are racing against some really tough guys. We are just trying to establish ourselves against these top competitors to be recognized as good potential for the NW Tour in the future”. Like I said, ‘It will be an exciting year out here in this division; lots of strong competition. More than I have seen in years’.
Robb also added that they have a tour car, as well, that is owned by JR Truck Rental and will driven by Ron Fritzley. Fritzley used to race the tour 10 years ago. On the off weekends here at Evergreen Speedway, they will run the tour races. The first one coming up is in Wenatchee on the 6th of July. They are also planning on going to the SW Tour in Phoenix this year.
The Touchette team has a full year cut out for them, but I believe they will make an impression on the industry and make a name for themselves. With the crew they have and the car they have worked so very hard on, they will most definitely give all the division a ‘run for their money’.
Robb’s sponsors consist of Alternative Blasters, JR Truck Rental, A&I Auto Repair, and JB’s Custom Auto.
