North Carolina man feels the squeeze at Sonoma Raceway’s NASCAR race

SONOMA - Toby Pritchard takes his life in his hands every week for NASCAR, but he wouldn’t have it any other way.

The Granite Falls, North Carolina, man has one of the most unusual jobs with the stock car racing circuit - squeezing dozens of 18-wheelers side-by-side with almost no room to spare.

And he does it by putting life and limb in jeopardy.

Pritchard travels with NASCAR every week as semi rucks haul cars, tools and pit crews around the country for races at venues from the East Coast to the West Coast. NASCAR is in Sonoma this week for the Toyota/Save Mart 350, the biggest event of the year at Sonoma Raceway.

The trucks must be positioned in order according to which garage the drivers and their teams are assigned. And space is a premium at the racetrack, so there is no self-parking.

It’s a carefully choreographed event that Pritchard makes look easy, but belies the danger. One wrong move by a driver or a misstep by Pritchard and it could be tragic.

As the three dozen or so trucks began arriving Thursday for racing this weekend, another man holds drivers until it’s time to line up safely.

Once a truck’s cab clears the adjacent truck, Pritchard takes his position, right next to the first truck’s trailer, hands on hips, elbows out, giving drivers a physical ruler showing how close they need to be.

He stands at the ready, like a matador waiting for a charging bull. The truck drivers expertly maneuver their 80,000-pound trucks about two feet apart, kissing Pritchard’s elbows.

Ever been bumped?

“One time,” he admitted. “But I jumped out in time.”

He says all the drivers know him.

“I do this every week,” he says. “They aren’t gonna run over me.”

You can reach Staff Writer Lori A. Carter at 707-521-5470 or lori.carter@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @loriacarter.