UPDATE: Charges dismissed in assault, strangulation case against NASCAR Racing Experience owner Bob Lutz
▪ Note: The charges in this case were dismissed against Lutz on Feb. 16, 2022. Charges were then expunged on March 16, 2022.
NASCAR Racing Experience owner Robert ‘Bob’ Lutz has been charged with aggravated assault and strangulation against a female following an altercation last weekend in Nashville, Tennessee.
According to Metropolitan Nashville Police Department online arrest records, Lutz was arrested at 3:30 a.m. Saturday in a hotel on Commerce Street in downtown Nashville.
Lutz, 52, is the former owner of the now-closed Myrtle Beach Speedway, and is the president and CEO of both the Richard Petty Driving Experience and Driving 101, LLC, the parent company based in Concord, N.C. of both the NASCAR Racing Experience and Mario Andretti Racing Experience.
Lutz’s LinkedIn page states he has owned the Richard Petty Driving Experience since 1993 and Driving 101 since 1998, and owned the Myrtle Beach Speedway from 2012 before selling it late in 2020 to a developer. NASCAR Racing Experience offers trips around a racetrack in a NASCAR car at 16 of the racing circuit’s speedways, including Charlotte Motor Speedway.
According to a Nashville police affidavit obtained by The Sun News, police were told Lutz and the alleged victim have been dating for about six months. The affidavit states that she claims an argument turned physical when Lutz placed both of his hands around her throat and strangled her.
Lutz did not respond to voice and text messages left on his cellphone Tuesday from The Sun News.
Nashville attorney Rob McKinney of May | McKinney Attorneys at Law said Tuesday that he is representing Lutz. “We’re not making any comment at this time. We’ll let the court process work itself out,” McKinney said.
The Sun News obtained a copy of the police report despite Nashville police refusing to release it, citing the case being an open investigation.
The affidavit states the victim said that she could not breathe while Lutz choked her for approximately one minute, and that she did not lose consciousness but attempted to push him off of her multiple times.
The affidavit states police responded to the address of the Renaissance Hotel for a domestic disturbance and found the victim with a very hoarse voice and redness on her throat consistent with a strangulation injury.
The affidavit states Lutz said there was just a verbal argument and no physical altercation, but due to the domestic relationship, the visible injury on the victim, and conflicting statements by Lutz, he was arrested.
Lutz’s bail was set at $25,000 and he was released about 3:30 p.m. Saturday, according to online records. He has a court appearance scheduled for 8:30 a.m. on Jan. 25.
The Scoop Nashville online publication first reported the arrest on Monday and stated the alleged victim is a woman in her 20s.
NASCAR held its ‘Champion’s Week,’ which included events and awards presentations, in downtown Nashville over the weekend.
In his time as the owner of Myrtle Beach Speedway, Lutz made the track an active event host. In addition to racing, he staged the Horry County Fair for several years, numerous concerts, and various other events including Monster Trucks.
This story was originally published December 7, 2021 at 1:59 PM.
