Rahn Tobler thought it was time to step aside a few years ago but returned to some unfinished business. Today, he knew the time had come to finish those final tasks.

Tobler, who has tuned multiple drivers to nitro championships, confirmed with CompetitionPlus.com that he will retire from full-time tuning at the end of the 2022 season.

"I realized that the travel and the wear and tear on me was just getting too much," Tobler said. "I'm a 68-year-old guy, and I don't want to complain about getting on an airplane and flying somewhere, but with the time changes and coming back and just getting used to one time and then coming back and doing this every week, it just got to be too much.

"Then, aside from that, I really kind of realized that the reason that I did retire was to move out here to California to kind of live down by the beach, to enjoy my life with my wife and paddle board and enjoy our pool and enjoy our friends and enjoy our neighborhood.
I just wasn't getting to do that really in any way, shape, or form."

Tobler said he's been contemplating the move for a few months and even let team owner John Force know well in advance. As hard as it was to step away from his previous commitment with Ron Capps and Don Schumacher Racing, this go-round was also extremely difficult.

"It's been very difficult for me with my team," Tobler admitted. "I feel that we have all gone through a lot this year together. We finally got our act together in the latter third of this year, so I'm very happy in the place that I'll be leaving the team at, and I will always be there for them if they need anything, but it just seemed like the right time for me to kind of do this again."

Even though he's hanging up again, Tobler doesn't regret coming off the sidelines and back into full-time competition.

"When I did come out of retirement, it was for a reason, and that was because of a close personal relationship with Jimmy and Jill Prock and Austin and their entire family," Tobler explained. "I just kind of saw it as an opportunity to come back again. It was an opportunity to get back on a dragster, which I had been wanting to do for 15 or 16 years, and it just seemed like the timing of it was right, and the circumstance was right."

For Tobler, one major item was missing from his resume.

"I had never worked for JFR," Tobler said. "I had worked for the top two out of the three teams out there. But when this opportunity came up to go and actually work at JFR, I was able to check that box and say that I've worked at the three best teams in modern-day drag racing."

Tobler said the experience at JFR was everything he hoped for and more.

"They treated me really well and I enjoyed working with John, and Robert and all the other teams there," Tobler said. "It was just a great experience, and I'm glad I got to experience that."

Tobler confirmed there would be no return engagement to full-time status but counsels he's not through with drag racing.

"I can tell you right now that I will not come back on a full-time thing again," Tobler declared. "I have a couple of people that I work with, certainly a very much part-timer, and Jason Rupert and I may come out to Pomona with him or whatever. But no, this is it. I'm going to enjoy my life."

Of all the lessons Tobler said he learned, his biggest takeaway from a lifetime experience of tuning race cars was his love of the people who comprise the drag racing community.

"The people that I've met over 50 years, the friends that I've met have just been phenomenal, and that was truly one of the reasons that I decided to come back is because when I was away from it, I really missed the people," Tobler said. "As far as the competition goes, yes, I've been competitive and I've had a very successful career and I've had great opportunities and worked with great people. It's just the friendships, the bonds, my peer group, and that's what I'm going to miss the most, but I know I'll get to see them occasionally, and I stay in contact with them and that's what's most important."