"2012 Racing News "

Looking to SAVE? Mean Green Cleaner is now available at Cincinnati Walgreens Stores, along with Oxydol Laundry Detergent. Look for these favorites near the cleaning aisle, at your local Cincinnati Walgreens.

Hoffman Auto Racing have been named non winged Owner of the Year for 2008. This Honor was granted by the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame !  (more)

Exciting news from Indianapolis! Richard Hoffman was inducted into the National Association of Race Fans(NARF) Hall of Fame on May the 26th in Indianapolis at their annual breakfast.  Congratulations to Richard.  Thanks for your continuing support.

SHOP UPDATE #2 BODY AND PAINT PREP 12-4-12

HOFFMAN RACING IS PROUD TO ANNOUNCE BRADY BACON AS THE 2013 DRIVER OF THE LEGENDARY HOFFMAN 69 MEAN GREEN MACHINE

Loveland, OH (December 3, 2012) -- Hoffman Racing is announcing that Brady Bacon has agreed to drive the legendary Mean Green , Lykins Oil, Hoosier Tire, Hoffman Racing #69 in 2013.  Brady will drive the Hoffman car for the USAC National Sprint Car schedule.  “We are proud to have a driver with the skill, determination and experience that Brady brings to our team. We have had experience with Brady in the car in 2011 and 2012 on a limited basis, winning a USAC National race last year at West Memphis.  We have been very impressed with his ability to adapt to track conditions.  “We are excited to have him represent our sponsors in 2013,” said Richard Hoffman, President of Hoffman racing.  “Brady has had tremendous success.  The entire Team has enjoyed working with him in the past and we are excited about this year. The addition of Brady makes us a legitimate threat to win our 10^th USAC National Sprint Car Championship in 2013,” said Rob Hoffman VP of Engineering, Hoffman Racing. 

Brady Bacon added “I am very excited about piloting the Hoffman Racing 69 in USAC for the 2013 season. We have had great success together in the few races that we have had together and I am looking forward to competing for a USAC championship. It is an honor to drive for a team with such rich history in open wheel racing.” 

Brady Bacon, from Broken Arrow Oklahoma, is a third generation driver. He started driving at age 5 in quarter midgets. At age 15 he started running sprint cars and midgets as well. Towards the end of 2006 Brady signed a driver development contract with Chip Ganassi. Brady began racing for Kasey Kahne’s USAC Team in sprints and midgets in 2007.  In 2009 he began his winged sprint car career.  Brady took over ownership of the winged and non-winged 99 team in 2011.  He has been in the top 3 in points with the ASCS tour since 2010.  He not only has excelled in racing but also academically.  Brady was a National Merit Scholar and Valedictorian of his class.

 Mean Green Super Strength is an economical, powerful, multi-purposed cleaner and degreaser, used to eliminate grease and grime.  Mean Green is a unique blend of biodegradable detergents, used to clean surfaces from the kitchen countertop to greasy engine parts in the garage. Find Mean Green at Wal-Mart, K-mart, Food Lion and Dollar Stores in your area.  Visit www.MeanGreenDegreaser.com for more information.

Lykins Companies is a family owned and operated business. Founded in 1948 by Guy Lykins, Sr., and now in the third generation of management, Lykins Companies has a rich and diverse heritage. The company strives to provide its customers with the highest quality products, delivered in the most efficient manner, at the lowest possible price. Whether a customer needs fuel for its business needs, transportation of petroleum products, or fuel to heat their home, Lykins Companies can meet their needs.  Lykins is not only committed to its customers; it is committed to the community, too.  Lykins belongs to many trade and business organizations and also contributes to many charitable causes.  In addition, Lykins is very involved in local schools, awarding college scholarships and supporting many athletic teams.

Highlights of the team’s history include:

 1929-1960 Gus campaigned Sprint Cars and Midgets.  His drivers included Eddie Sachs and Don Branson.

1964 Gus’s son, Richard, became co-owner of the Team

1973-1984 HAR fielded Indy Cars, including 7 Indy 500 starts

1989 HAR won the first of 9 USAC National Sprint Car Championships with Rob Hoffman as the crew chief (’92,’93,’96,’97,’99,’02,’04,’08)

 With 81 National Sprint Car wins and 9 National Championships, HAR has won more National races and championships than any other team in USAC sprint car history. HAR also has 7 Silver Crown wins, for a total of 88 USAC National wins. In 2003 HAR was recognized for excellence by the Ohio State Senate and House of Representatives. HAR has finished in the top 3 in USAC National Sprint Car owners points 17 times since 1989.

 Drivers from the past 85 years reads like a Who’s Who of racing: Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, Tracy Hines, JJ Yeley, Kasey Kahne, Kenny Irwin Jr, Rich Vogler, Dave Darland, Johnny Parsons Jr., Tim Richmond, Jay Drake, Brian Tyler, Robbie Stanley, Eric Gordon, Steve Butler, Jerry Coons, Jr., Ryan Newman, Dave Steele, George Snider, Tom Bigelow, Shorty Templemen, Don Branson, Eddie Sachs, Bill Puterbaugh, Elmer George, Pancho Carter, Roger Ward, Andy Michener, Kyle Larson and Brady Bacon. In all, approximately 131 drivers have competed in the Hoffman cars. Out of those 131 drivers there are four father/son combinations:  Dick and Dickie Gaines, Jim and Tracy Hines, Kerry and Dave Norris, Clark and Shorty Templemen. Two brother combinations:  Larry and Steve Cannon, Pancho Carter and Johnny Parsons, Jr. HAR also had a stepgrandfather and stepgrandson combination of Elmer George and Ed Carpenter. 

Shop Update 11-12 Tall Tank Prep

HOFFMAN RACING ANNOUNCES MEAN GREEN RETURNING AS PRIMARY SPONSOR FOR 2013, LYKINS OIL TO RETURN AS AN ASSOCIATE SPONSOR DRIVER ANNOUNCEMENT COMING SOON

Loveland, OH (Nov 20,2012) -- Hoffman Racing is announcing today that Mean
Green cleaner and degreaser will return as our primary sponsor for the 2013
racing season. “ We are thrilled that Mean Green cleaner and degreaser has
decided to return as our primary sponsor for a third year. I believe that Mean Green
and HAR did a great job marketing the cleaner and degreaser in 2011 and 2012. Our
race fans have become loyal users of the brand and we want to thank them for
helping HAR retain our primary sponsor” said Richard Hoffman President of
HAR. “ Our partners at Mean Green have been a pleasure to work with and have
become huge fans of sprint car racing and HAR. Our objective for 2013 is to continue
brand awareness and help CR brands increase sales of Mean Green” said Tim
Waechter VP of Marketing/Public Relations for HAR.

“We also want to recognize the support of another great Cincinnati based company, Lykins Oil. Jeff Lykins and his company were a great asset to us in 2012. Beyond their sponsorship support,we also appreciate our new friendships at Lykins.” said Rob Hoffman, VP of Engineering at HAR.

Mean Green Super Strength is an economical, powerful, multi-purposed cleaner and degreaser used to eliminate grease and grime. Mean Green is a unique blend of biodegradable detergents, used to clean surfaces from the kitchen counter top to greasy engines parts in the garage. Find Mean Green at Wal-Mart, K-mart, Food Lion and Dollar Stores in your area.
Visit www.MeanGreenDegreaser.com for more information.

Lykins Companies is a family owned and operated business. Founded in 1948 by Guy Lykins, Sr., and now in the third generation of management, Lykins Companies has a rich and diverse heritage. The company strives to provide its customers with the highest quality products delivered in the most efficient manner at the lowest possible price. Whether a customer needs fuel for its business needs, transportation of petroleum products, or fuel to heat their home, Lykins Companies can meet their needs. Lykins is not only committed to its customers; it is committed to the community too. Lykins belongs to many trade and business organizations, and also contributes to many charitable causes. In addition, Lykins is very involved in local schools, awarding college scholarships, and supporting many athletic teams.

Highlights of the team’s history include: -1929-1960 Gus campaigned Sprint Cars and Midgets, his drivers included Eddie Sachs, and Don Branson - 1964 Gus’s son Richard became co-owner of the Team - 1973-1984 HAR fielded Indy Cars, including 7 Indy 500 starts - 1989 HAR won the first of 9 USAC National Sprint Car Championships with Rob Hoffman as the crew chief (’92,’93,’96,’97,’99,’02,’04,’08)

With 81 National Sprint Car wins and 9 National Championships, HAR has won more National races and championships than any other team in USAC sprint car history. HAR also has 7 Silver Crown wins for a total of 88 USAC National wins. In 2003 HAR was recognized for excellence by the Ohio State Senate and House of Representatives. HAR has finished in the top 3 in USAC National Sprint Car owners points 17 times since 1989.

Drivers from the past 83 years reads like a who’s who of racing: Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, Tracy Hines, JJ Yeley, Kasey Kahne, Kenny Irwin Jr, Rich Vogler, Dave Darland, Johnny Parsons Jr., Tim Richmond, Jay Drake, Brian Tyler, Robbie Stanley, Eric Gordon, Steve Butler , Jerry Coons Jr. Ryan Newman, Dave Steele, George Snider, Tom Bigelow Shorty Templemen, Don Branson, Eddie Sachs, Bill Puterbaugh, Elmer George, Pancho Carter, Roger Ward, Andy Michener, Kyle Larson and Brady Bacon. In all approximately 131 drivers have competed in the Hoffman cars. Of those there are four father/son combinations , Dick and Dickie Gaines, Jim and Tracy Hines Kerry and Dave Norris, Clark and Shorty Templemen. Two brother combinations, Larry and Steve Cannon, Pancho Carter and Johnny Parsons Jr. HAR also had a stepgrandfather and stepgrandson combination of Elmer George and Ed Carpenter.

A LONG NIGHT AT ONE OF OUR FAVORITE TRACKS-THE ACTION TRACK

We always look forward to returning to Terre Haute, one of our favorite tracks.  It has been very good to us in the past, many wins and top 5 finishes.  The car was a handful for Kevin Thomas Jr in hot laps and qualifying.  Rob found an issue with the left front shock
cable before the heat race which seemed to be the issue.  KT was able to transfer through the first heat and seemed to be getting comfortable in the car, which looked much more stable. 
 
The feature was a marathon.  We started 10th and initially dropped in the pack.  The  car got really fast and we got as high as 6th place and looked like we had something for them.  During a yellow we noticed that the left rear was low on air pressure. We had
to call Kevin in to add air, pull the bleeder and start in the back.  There were numerous reds, one for refueling as we had run close to the mandated red flag after 50 minutes running time.  As we refueled the car the left rear looked flat.  So we pulled the car off the track and Dan did a great job quickly changing the left rear. Starting in the back again Kevin exhibited the "never say die" attitude and drove the Mean Green MOPAR Lykins Oil Hoffman Machine like he stole it and finished a credible 10th. Thanks to Kevin for a great effort for us once again.

The race in Michigan rescheduled at I96 speedway was once again rained out.  Thanks to the track and USAC for calling the race early and saving the fans and  Teams time and money.

RESULTS FORM LAWRENCEBURG, RUNNING A TWO CAR TEAM 9/29/2012

RESULTS FROM THE 4 CROWNS 2012

What started out as another promising night ended up in a crash during the A main. Kyle ran and won the Nascar K&N East Series race in Loudon N.H. By the way he is only 3 points out of the championship lead there in his first year. Darren Hagen was kind enough to agree to hot lap and qualify the car and run the car if Kyle could not make the race. Darren did a great job with feedback after hot laps and qualifying the car 10th, even with a late pill draw.

Then the waiting game was on. Thanks to Misha Geisert for updates on Kyle's progress in route to Eldora in Tony Stewart's plane. Kyle got there in plenty of time for the heat race and by rule had to start last. He was challenging for 2nd when the checkered flag flew. By rule we got our qualifying time back since we transferred through the heat.

We started 9th in the A main. Kyle was making his way to the front . He was stuck behind two of the top cars and obviously much faster then them. He tried a higher line in turns 1&2, hit a rut which took the right front into the fence, turned the car and rolled the Mean Green MOPAR Lykins Oil Hoffman Machine. The car was then struck by a competitor ,with no place to go ,and sent the car in the air and into additional rolls and flips.

We were all relieved to see Kyle exit the car and walk to the ambulance. We can replace a car. We have become very attached to Kyle and thanked the Good Lord for his safety. For those of you who do not Kyle as we do, he is a fine young man and is keeping grounded with the help of a great family, even with his remarkable success. We are rooting for your first NASCAR title with the K&N East Series. Kyle will be fine , sore and bruised , he will be ready for Dover this week in K&N.

Multiple thanks to:
Darren Hagen for a great job.
Tony Stewart for use of his plane and Misha for the updates.
Tom Chalk for building us a quality and safe car. This car has won many races for us the last 2 years, including 4 with Kyle.
Kyle Larson for giving us 200% effort every time he has been in the car.
To all our fans and competitors for their support through a difficult time.

Plans are to run 2 cars this week at "the Burg". Driver lineup will be announced in the next several days.

Tim Waechter
VP Marketing/Public Relations Hoffman Racing
twbigt69@gmail.com
513-284-1519

TEE SHIRT SALE @ ELDORA FOR THIS WEEKENDS 4-CROWN NATIONALS

Buy your Hoffman Racing Tee's at the track this weekend and SAVE! Tee's will be on sale  $15.00 or 2 for $20.00 all sizes. We have all sizes but men's Large at this time, but get them soon first come first serve!

RESULTS ON USAC "SPECIAL EVENT" AT HAUBSTADT, SEPT. 15 2012

HISTORIC USAC NATIONAL WIN #81 COMES AT "THE DITCH" TO CAP OFF ARKANSAS TRIP WITH BRADY BACON AT THE WHEEL

What was supposed to be a 2 night race trip to the state of Arkansas turned out to be 1 after a torrential storm hit the I30 Speedway in Little Rock. We were very disappointed after being fast in hot laps, qualifying 5th and transferring through heat race #1 which guaranteed us an up front starting spot. We felt we had something for them.

The three Amigos (We were short crew without Rob and Tommy. Richard, Dan and myself ate at a Mexican restaurant Saturday for lunch) turned the car around in a Walmart parking lot before heading for West Memphis. While we always are visited by race fans , the number of fans and curious people was surprising. We directed them with a $1 coupon to buy Mean Green a few steps away, while touting the hp of the MOPAR and the reliability of Lykins fuel.

We were fast again in hot laps at "The Ditch", a fast highly banked tight race track. Brady had fast time , a good 0.3 faster than the Tony Stewart Racing entry ,which was 2nd quick. Brady got us transferred in heat number 1. The feature produced some of the wildest racing we have seen in many years. The top 4 cars pulled away from the field with Brady taking The Mean Green MOPAR Lykins Oil Hoffman Machine to the lead, by using the high line to perfection on lap 23. Traffic became a serious issue allowing Bryan Clauson to close the gap in the final laps, but Brady pulled off an incredible victory by "Cowboying Up".

Thanks to Brady for making time to drive for us in his busy schedule. Needless to say the 8 hour trip back to the shop was a lot more enjoyable.

Tim Waechter
VP Marketing/Public Relations Hoffman Racing
twbigt69@gmail.com
513-284-1519

NIGHT 3 OF THE KOKOMO SMACK DOWN 2012

We were 8th in points after the first 2 nights of the Smack Down. That meant that we were automatically in the big show on Saturday. USAC and the promoters came up with a unique way to determine the first 8 starting positions. King of the Hill was a match race format, 2 cars racing for 2 laps, winner advances. We were 8th in points and matched against Bryan Clauson (#1). Thomas got a great start , beat Bryan into turn 1 and won round 1. He repeated that performance against Damion Gardner in round 2 and advanced to the finals against Tracy Hines. Thomas gassed her a little too much and lost the final round.

Nonetheless that started us outside front row for the Smack Down. Thomas got a great start and led the first 8-9 laps before giving way to Tracy. The car started to fade a little and we fell to 6-7th when we got caught up in an incident not of our making. With nowhere to go we got hit from behind, it turned the car and we stopped in turn 4. The left rear was flat, we got the car to the changing area and Dan changed it within the given 2 laps. The car seemed to come to life again and Thomas moved into 10th place in just a few laps. We are very happy that no one was hurt in some very scary accidents during the weekend.

Thomas did a good job in the car for the 1st time and will return this weekend in Granite City and Terre Haute.

Don't want to not mention the super job our man Dan did driving the car through the Motel parking lot to fire the newly changed motor, only took him one full lap.  Video


Tim Waechter
VP Marketing/Public Relations Hoffman Racing
twbigt69@gmail.com
513-284-1519

KOKOMO "SMACKDOWN" NIGHT TWO 8-24-12

Night 2 brings a "Top Five", in fact a 4th place finish. I have not heard from the team on specifics, at this time but have the outcome. Qualified 15th, transferred in Heat 3 with a 3rd. Brought it in for a 4th place in the "A". Tonight is the big race.

KOKOMO "SMACKDOWN" NIGHT ONE 8-23-12

Last night was the first night of the 3 night Kokomo Smackdown with over 40 cars in the pits. Darren had a prior commitment for Sat in a ARCA Race so we were in a pinch. We found out that to be able to compete in Sat nights big "A" main we would have to have the same driver all 3 nights. We were very lucky to get a Kokomo (Thomas Meseraull) regular to fill in. The night started out well with Thomas jumping in to the Mean Green Machine and qualifying it 7th quick with only a few hot laps to get the feel of the car. His heat race was performance was pretty awesome as he started 5th and immediately move to the 3rd spot for his transfer. After a 5th place starting place in the "A" Thomas was quick to move in to 2nd place. It was about mid-race as he was pressing to pass when one little mistake proved to be costly. Going in to the turn too deep and bouncing off the wall had no visual damage and he was able to continue losing a few positions. It was then that we realized that something was damaged as he faded back to mid-pack for a 16th place finish. After inspecting the car we found that a shock had broke and caused the mishandling of the car. These things happen when your pressing hard to win and tonight's a whole new night. 

OSKALOOSA "ULTIMATE CHALLENGE" WIN IS USAC NATIONAL SPRINT CAR WIN #80 FOR HAR

8-7-12 HE DOES IT AGAIN!!  LARSON REPEATS HIS OSKALOOSA CHALLENGE WIN FROM LAST YEAR

Yes he did, and it was no cake walk. A 7th place finish in the Dash put him back in the 4th row. As far at the status of this being scored a National Win, it was listed a special event and may not. A Victory is a Victory and we are proud to have the Hoffman Racing "Mean Green" Mopar in Victory Lane at Oskaloosa for 2 years in a row. Larson: “The first restart, I thought I missed the bottom, and then they were all racing each other and I got a big run off the corner. I got Dave in three and had enough momentum to throw one into one for second. It’s really key to keep all four in the moisture down the straightaway on the restarts, and on the second one I pushed him all the way down there and was able to clear him for the lead. We caught a big bunch of cars there late, and I couldn’t get by guys. I knew Dave had to be coming, but I never saw him. If I would have seen him, he would have gotten me up on the wheel and I might have done something stupid, so it’s probably a good thing I didn’t,” Larson said.  Daren Hagen ran the 69OT (2nd car) and finished in 14th in the stellar field. NSSN Article about Kyle

Victory #2 for 2012 was a long time coming. To add to that we had two cars in the top 10, that is a pretty good accomplishment. Larson started on the pole and did not take any chances of losing the lead, at times it was a whole straightaway. This was a preliminary feature for tonight's big race and only appearance points were awarded. We are still on the cusp of our 80th USAC National Win. Having the two talented drivers we have in the car's tonight our chance the opportunity to reach this goal is doubled. A great job by our crew and drivers is what brings this kind of result. (Photos: Kyle Left and Darren on Right)

A struggle, there is no other way to describe last night. A 6th place qualifying time turned out to be the highlight. Chad was running hard in his heat and was in a sure transfer spot when he bicycled the car in the turn. He did a great job of saving it, but not without some damage to the nerf bar and falling back to the rear of the field. It was obvious that we had a problem when tire smoke was pouring off the right rear. It did not deter Chad he pushed it and was able to transfer to the "A" while sacrificing a right rear. After 2 laps in the lead Kevin Thomas quoting USAC "ran the top with reckless abandon" and slid under Chad for the lead. While running 2nd the race was red flagged on lap 5 for a serious (flip) accident. While the safety crew cautiously removed Stu Snyder from his car we had a chance to make some adjustments to try and chase the track. Well, trying to predict the track conditions is not a exact science, needless to say we slowly drifted back to a 13th place finish. One of the good thing about this sport is that tonight we get to go to a whole new place and give it everything we got! We will be fielding a extra car tonight and tomorrow for Kyle Larson so the crew will have to step up and get it done, cause we don't quit when times get tough. Keep up with us at our twitter link and USAC's we try to keep you up but the racing is our priority.

NEBRASKA AND MISSOURI RACE RESULTS

A broken spark plug got Chad off to a bad start with a poor qualifying time. He finished 4th in the first Heat and 11th in the "A". Not much to say, despite a great effort by everyone it just was not a very good night. Night 2 at Valley Speedway was a lift to everyone's spirits. Chad qualified the "69" Mean Green Mopar 7th quick out of 31. He then made a tremendous run in his heat starting 6th and charging through the short race to win by a good margin. In the "A" he led the first 7 laps and then held with the top cars and at the checkers he was in 5th. Its a lot of pressure jumping into a car and subbing for another driver and Chad did a good job.

Tonight we will be at US 36 Raceway with Darren behind the wheel. Check twitter and USAC for a summary tonight and we will get you the behind the scenes report when the team phones in. It a busy week with the big race at Oskloosa and fielding a extra car for  Kyle Larson.

NEBRASKA, MISSOURI, IOWA AND MICHIGAN RACES NEXT

It is that time of year that the hauler gets a good workout along with the crew. The 7 race tour will start at Eagle Raceway in Eagle Nebraska then to Valley Speedway, in Grain Valley Mo.. Due to the Bellville Nationals running in conflict with these two dates we will have Chad Boespflug in the seat for those two nights. Darren will return for another night in Mo. at US 36 Raceway. Then it is off to Iowa for the Special Event at Oskaloosa, IA.. At Oskaloosa we will field two cars with Darren and Kyle Larson in the seats. From there It will be off to Michigan for a 2 night run at I-96 and Hartford. Yes, a very busy August is ahead!

RESULTS FROM "THE BIG E" SPECIAL EVENT 28 JULY 2012

We have had much success the last years at Eldora, so we were looking forward to a return. This was a "special event" on the schedule meaning that it was not our usual USAC format. All teams that show are awarded the same National points for the "SE's". After a good hot lap session, a few tweaks were made to the car and we were fast, qualifying 3rd with a time 0.2 of the fast time. Part of the format change was to spin the "wheel of misfortune" to determine the number of cars inverted in the heats. It came up "total" placing us in the last starting spot of heat 3. By all measuring tools, this was the toughest of the 4 heats. Darren gave the Mean Green Hoffman Machine one heck of a ride executing some classic slide jobs, even surviving a competitor doing his best to take us out. Daren kept the car running and kept the transfer spot for the restart. He improved his position and qualified for the A main.

The unusual format had us starting 11th in the A Main rather than the second row in the USAC format. The A Main was also a 50 lap race celebrating 50 years of USAC sprint car racing at Eldora. We had a good car with Darren steadily advancing through the field. At lap 23 a yellow turned into a red flag to refuel. A good call by USAC since most cars could no make 50 laps with current size tail tanks. Darren got as high as 4th place before finishing 6th. A good night for the Team.

Thanks to Eldora for putting on a high paying event with lots of entertainment for the fans. Fans seemed to be there in record numbers in recent years for a USAC race. The traveling circus now heads to the Midwest for 5 nights of racing. Darren will be at The Belleville Nationals for the first 2 races. Driver announcement for those 2 events will come shortly.

Tim Waechter
VP Marketing/Public Relations Hoffman Racing
twbigt69@gmail.com
513-284-1519

BLOOMINGTON & HAUBSTADT

It was a great start to the night at Bloomington, the car was fast in hot laps and Darren turned a 3rd quick time in qualifying. The heat race was competitive and it was a late race move by Darren that got him in the transfer spot for the "A". The "Mean Green "69" machine was making a good run in the "A" running a strong 4th a pushing forward when things went bad. A bleeder in the right rear began to release too much pressure and it was all Darren could do to finish 14th with a flattening right rear.

It was on to Haubstadt for the last scheduled night of speed week. A bad pill draw put Darren on a track that was going away and 25th quick time was a tough break to overcome. The car was really hooked up in the heat, which Darren Won by a substantial margin. This was a good thing, but it only gets you your time back for the "A" and that meant a start in the rear of the field. Darren ran a good race and was passing cars but as the race went on the car got a little loose car held him to a 12th place finish.

Tonight will be the make up race at Lincoln Park and Darren had a prior commitment. We are happy to have Chad Boespflug, a very talented young man to fill in for Darren.

TERRE HAUTE & Lincoln Park Speedway (rain)

Terre Haute brought more frustration but the crew and Darren salvaged a 11th place finish in the "A". Darren was pinched early on damaging the front end.  The crew got the car fixed well enough to restart. During the last lap, while running in the last transfer spot a previously damaged part in he front end let loose and cause Darren to spin and collect the car behind him. After a lot of hustling by the Mean Green (69) team, Darren was able to make the "B", and finish 4th for the transfer. The "A" was a very lack luster race with little passing. The result was a 11th place finish. The only thing to brag about is how the crew responded to the damaged car in the heat and Darren giving it his all to make the transfer to the "A". Again, we never quit!

I always have said that no matter how low the chance of rain is, it is much higher at a race track or other sports field. Unfortunately I was right again and Lincoln Park was stopped by a random shower. Of course the drive back was in complete sunshine, but the damage was done.  I believe this race is to be rescheduled but its status is not posted yet on USAC's page.

LAWRENCEBURG AND KOKOMO

After a day off (Kokomo's reschedule) due to a rain shower we drove into Lawrenceburg with high expectations. We started the night with a late qualifying slot, not good anytime but especially during Speed Week and a record breaking drought. So, we ended up timing 30th. Not up to the standards of Daren or the "69" team. This put us in the back of a pretty loaded heat race. Starting in the back of the "B" did little more than help Rob get us a better setup for the "A". Despite starting at the rear of the main, Darren drove a good race in a competitive car and when the checkers flew he had made it up to 13th.

Mondays rescheduled race at Kokomo came a lot closer to meeting our high standards. Daren timed in 8th quick just missed the transfer in his heat and then made the transfer from the "B". Daren ran a hard race searching high and low for speed and did some battle with the leaders. At the flag, Darren and the "69" car was running 5th. A boost to morale, reassuring us that we have a good car, driver and loyal sponsor and that better days will come. Next race is Terra Haute a big track with a lot of speed. The record Midwest drought and a forecasted temperature in the low 100's will undoubtedly add to the challenge. But again, we never quit, we will stock up on the Gatorade and give it our best effort!

INDIANA SPEED WEEK STARTS AT "GAS CITY" 7-13-12

There is always a large field for the start of Speedweek and last night was no exception. Darren went out late but posted a 6th quick time out of 43 cars. The heat race was stacked with talent and turned out to be a real dogfight, Darren was in and out of the 2nd spot several times, even dropped to 5th at one point, then worked his way back to 2nd for the transfer. The "A" was very much like the heat race, all the big dogs were up front and battling hard for the lead. Darren had another heart break when he hooked wheels and spun on the white flag lap. The car was still O.K. and Darren brought it in 15th. With 6 days of racing left it is on to the next race at Kokomo, In.. There are plenty of races and points left to be won.

"EASTERN STORM " RESULTS- 4 RACES IN 5 DAYS

The "Eastern Storm" resulted in more missed opportunities and heart ache for the Team. We continue to have very fast cars and Darren is driving the car hard, but the results just are not reflective of the product we are putting on the track.

The first night in Grandview was an example of a missed opportunity. Darren qualified 6th quick which means a chance to start on the front row for the A main, but we struggled in the heat and did not transfer. Our 6th place A main result was disappointing.

A day off was followed by a trip to New Egypt. After qualifying 8th we again struggled in the heat and finished 7th. Changes were made to the car and starting back in the field we were going forward. At the start of the race we were run into from the back and turned side ways, hit by another car and straitened out and Darren kept the car going. That enabled us to retain our original starting spot. However the result of the contact was a severely
bent left front shock. Darren soldiered on moving forward and getting as high as 4th place and closing on the lead pack. The car handling continued to deteriorate with the shock problem and a lapped car that was a moving road block cost us 2 spots in the late laps for a 6th place finish. We deserved better.

The third race was a return to Big Diamond after a years absence. The memories from that track were not positive with a dust bowl fresh in our thoughts. The track was good for qualifying and the heat races. A front row starting spot again eluded us when a crack in the rear end was discovered just before pushing off for our heat. The youngest Hoffman, August did a tremendous job and found the crack. The crew did an unbelievable job
changing rear ends and almost had it ready for the heat. So again we lost the front row and started 7th. The A main was one of the worst tracks in memory. We literally could not see the cars after a few laps, nor could the fans and worst the drivers could not see to hit their marks. We were happy to finish with everything and everybody in one piece. Red flag where were you? Dangerous doesn't begin to describe the situation. It leads to many obvious questions since this wasn't the first time.


Then comes the severe body blow at Port Royal. Drawing a late pill Darren qualified 6th quick, a tremendous time considering the track had deteriorated since qualifying began. We had a great car in the heat, finishing 2nd after starting 5th. This did give us a pole starting position. Darren was on a tear leading the first 24 laps. Damion and Tracy closed in several times and then we increased the lead. After completing lap 24 Daren got hot into turn 3,
bicycled the car, tried to save it and hit the wall. Another potential victory snatched away late in the race. To say it was heart breaking doesn't begin to describe the situation. Shades of Terre Haute revisited.

We want to thank the fans of PA and NJ for great turn outs and support. Especially the Port Royal fans were great and the track personnel very friendly.

There is no quit in the Team. We are looking forward to redemption in Wisconsin.

Tim Waechter
VP Marketing/Public Relations Hoffman Racing
twbigt69@gmail.com
513-284-1519

A GREAT CAR, HECK OF A DRIVE BY DARREN, ANOTHER ONE TAKEN AWAY, THE ACTION TRACK MAY 24TH

First of all congratulations to the entire crew for an unbelievable effort to get the crashed car fixed for Terre Haute. (Video link below) We all did our jobs as a true Team, with long hours and little sleep. A big shout out to Rob and Dan for their efforts cutting and welding on the car.
Thanks to the management of the track for a good race track considering the high temperatures and strong winds. We had a good car in hot laps and drew a low number which really was an advantage as the track slowed up later in qualifying. A 5th place qualifying time put us in heat number 1, inside 3rd row. Darren did a great job getting us in the transfer spot and then had to fight off Coleman for the 4th spot.

Starting outside row 2 we got to third quickly and pursued the leader Stanbrough and 2nd place Kaeding. Darren did great classic slide jobs first on Kaeding and then hunted down Jon for the lead. Darren was driving away from the field , on a rail and looking for a big win. With about 10 to go he was closing on the back of the field entering turn 3 when 2 back markers decided to get together and Darren had no place to go. Contact was made with the right side of the car and we stopped on the track taking away what looked like a dominant win. The right side nerf bar was against the right rear tire. Why the officials pushed Darren off is a mystery, the tire rubbed for a lap when the crew pulled Darren in for repairs.
In the process of pulling the nerf bar off both Rob and Dan suffered burns to their hands. Racers are generally great people, fierce competitors, but willing to help others. Many thanks to Tony Stewart racing for their help by bringing a "big ass" hammer to help.

Take aways from the night: 1) lady luck still has left our building 2) We have a heck of a good race car 3) We have a heck of a driver. Next up is The Eastern Storm. See you there.
Video of repair of Chalk Chassis after Bloomington


Tim Waechter
VP Marketing/Public Relations Hoffman Racing
twbigt69@gmail.com
513-284-1519

BLOOMINGTON-ANOTHER FAST CAR WITH NOTHING TO SHOW FOR IT !!!!!!

Tim Waechter
VP Marketing/Public Relations Hoffman Racing
a513-284-1519

CHANGE OF FORMAT DURING THE EVENT AT HAUBSTADT, THEN AN ISSUE

I guess you could say that it was an interesting night at Haubstadt. The early week forecast was 10% chance of rain. Unfortunately 100% was falling on us when we arrived at Tri State Speedway. It was a light rain, but consistent. The track did a great job preparing the track when the rain did stop and the fans as always were great, patient and understanding. Although this is the home of the MSCS series this was a USAC race with a USAC format, i.e. qualifying, heat races with transfers etc. Well suddenly the format changed to the MSCS format of no qualifying, passing points, the draw determining starting positions in the heats due to the late start. At that point USAC officials decided to award everyone who showed for the race 60 USAC National points. An obvious question begs to be answered
here.
We were good in hot laps with Darren doing what you need to do at Haubstadt, throw it in the corners. We started outside front row in heat #3. We fell to 3rd initially, but Darren quickly recovered for 2nd. A few laps later he pulled in the infield on the front
stretch. The crew found a broken rocker arm caused by a back-fire in the motor which happened when Darren peddled the car. This has happened to us on several occasions now, we sure need to get this figured out. Given the fact that there were no points at stake and we would have to start at the back in the B Main, risking the car, we chose to not change engines and packed up. An 8 hour round trip with nothing to show for it except expenses is a tough trip. We look forward to Bloomington this Friday. See you there!!!

Tim Waechter
VP Marketing/Public Relations Hoffman Racing
twbigt69@gmail.com
513-284-1519

A LONG NIGHT AT GAS CITY, AN OVERNIGHT STAY, A VISIT WITH A FRIEND AND A RAIN OUT

Gas City Friday night turned into a long night for the Team. We were okay in hot laps and drew a low number for qualifying. Darren was car number 6 out for qualifying. On a night when the old track record was broken many times, we could only turn in the 15th quick time. It did not make us feel any better that many of the top cars were slower than us. Darren was inside row number 2 for the 3rd heat and the night got even more frustrating by missing the transfer by 1 spot and finishing 5th. A number of cars who out qualified us also missed the transfer and were starting ahead of us in the B Main. The car looked much better and Darren drove the Mean Green machine to a 2nd place finish. The track is usually re-worked before the A main at Gas City, but not this night. Starting deep in the field Darren tried the high side for a couple laps. He would pick up ground in the corners but loose it in the straight always. The track turned into a one groove, huggy pole affair. Darren did manage to pick up a few spots. He made a valiant effort to run high again , but lost 2 spots in the process. He was able to pick one up by lap 30 and finished 15th.

We stayed overnight and our good friend Sam Pierce offered the use of his beautiful race shop to turn the car around. It was great to see Sam and Aaron again. Aaron drove for the Team several times and we value our friendship with the Pierce's. Thanks again Sam for allowing us to stay warm and dry. See the pictures. Putnamville was rained out Saturday. See you at Haubstadt on the 12th.

START OF THE 2012 MIDWEST USAC SEASON, ELDORA 21 APRIL

Eldora has been a great track for us over the years. We have many big wins and even a 1-2 finish with Tracy Hines and Jerry Coons Jr. So we were looking forward to a great night after a disappointing rain out at Gas City the night before. Hot laps has us 9th quick and lots of room to improve. We did that as Darren cut a lap of 15.002 a good half second faster than we practiced. That made us 5th quick behind a quick time from Levi of 14.872. We still own the track record of 14.712 set by Jerry Coons Jr. Looking at it objectively we had a very tough heat. Starting 5th with Levi outside of us we dropped to 6th in turn one. Darren and Levi had a great dual for 3 laps, which let the cars up front get a big lead. Darren make a tremendous pass on Levi, but we missed a front row starting spot by 1 position. We lined up 3rd in the B main and finished 4th. We just never "hit it" Saturday night. Starting 9th in the A Main, we struggled with the car and finished a distant 10th. We wil re-focus this week and get ready for Gas City Friday(rain out date) and Putnamville Saturday night. See you there.

HOFFMAN'S 2012 OPEN HOUSE, REUNION AND FISH FRY

THIS YEARS VISIT TO WLW WAS ENJOYABLE A SUCCESS AND A GREAT BOOST FOR THE SPORT WE LOVE SO MUCH !

annual visit to WLW radio this Sunday March 18th

The Hoffman Race Team will make our annual visit to WLW radio this Sunday March 18th from 7:00-8:30 p.m. You can help take the total focus off NASCAR and on to sprint car racing by your calls and questions for the team. Local Cincinnati number is 513-749-7000 or 1800thebig1. You can listen on 700 WLW am radio or on the internet at 700wlw.com. Richard, Rob ,Dan and I look forward to talking to you. Do you live outside the Broadcast area? Click Here http://www.700wlw.com/pages/streaming.html

Look for this Mean Green ad with Coupon in Sundays 3-4-12 Newspaper country wide. I understand it will be in 43,000,000 papers.

Hoffman Ocala trip 2012

USAC NATIONAL SPRINT CAR WIN # 79 COMES AT OCALA DURING THE BUBBA WINTER DIRT GAMES

We knew that running 2 cars would be a challenge for the Team.  It certainly was busy.  Many of the crew did not get a chance to see either car on the track

until the A Main.  The track ate tires Thursday night, so we were busting tires.  The track was good on Saturday night. We also had not planned on 3 motor changes during the trip.  An experimental build  on a motor did not pan out which necessitated a change and a crack in the oil pan caused another.  None of these issues were related to parts failures.  Rob was able to take the motor with the oil pan issue to a welder and get it fixed.

 Highlights of the trip:

- Both of the cars held the track record at one time during the 4 nights

- A late yellow flag cost us a chance for a sweep of the Dirt Games as Brady was leading and stretching the lead when the yellow flew. The Mean Green MOPAR Lykins Oil Hoffman machines finished 3&4.  A disqualification cost the 69OT car 4th.  The scales were moved to the infield for the A Main from their position in the pits.  Darren went to the location in the  pits, was pushed back out by a USAC official , never went to our hauler, but we were disqualified.  That is a real shame for a young man who drove his heart out and for our team.

- Darren got his revenge by winning #79 for us Saturday.  He drove a smart aggressive race and did not yield to pressure from Grant or Clauson.

WE OWE A LOT OF THANKS FOR A HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL START TO THE SEASON :

- To Brady Bacon for setting up the new car and his great talent.  It was a pleasure to have you drive for us again.  You are fun to be around and great to work with. You drove your butt off for us. Hope we get to do it again this year.

- To Darren Hagen for a 110% effort and giving us our 79th win.  You were great.  Who said a coil car doesn't work ? We look forward to many more wins this year with you.

- To Tim 'Cowboy" Wolffrum for returning to the Team in our hour of need. Thanks for all your Assistance and keeping us all laughing.

- To Jeremy for all your help on tires and turning the cars around.

- To Buff Fritz for all your help with locating fuel and arranging the welding of the oil pan and transporting the motor.

- To Marion Machine and Tool and Ivedent Lloyd Jr for welding the oil pan in the 69OT car, this was the engine that won the race. Thank you to a great Late Model racer and top notch welder.

Darren will be in the car at our home track of Lawrenceburg on April 14. See you there

Tim Waechter
VP Marketing/Public Relations Hoffman Racing
twbigt69@gmail.com
513-284-1519

VIDEO UPDATE FROM THE SHOP #6  1-24-12 START YOUR ENGINES!

NEW AUTOGRAPH CARDS AND T's READY FOR OCALA

Proof after proof we finally have the 2012 autograph cards ready to go. This year features include a Coupon from "Mean Green" and smart phone short cut to the websites.

DARREN HAGEN WILL JOIN HOFFMAN IN A 2ND CAR AT OCALA

Hoffman Racing will field a second car at Ocala with Darren Hagen joining Brady Bacon at the wheel of a Hoffman Sprint Car. We are very pleased that Darren accepted the invitation to drive in the 3 night series. Having these two talented young drivers is a little more work for the crew, but it will be twice the feedback on the cars and setups.

VIDEO UPDATE FROM THE SHOP #6  1-10-12

HOFFMAN DRIVER SUGGESTION POLL RESULTS

What we all have known was proven to be true again when looking at the results of the Hoffman driver suggestion poll. Sprint Car fans are the most knowledgeable, passionate and dedicated fans in all of racing. We have been blown away by the number of suggestions made and number of fans participating in our driver suggestion poll. We want to especially thank those thoughtful fans that took the time to include data and reasons why their suggestion would work for Hoffman Racing in 2012 .

Remember that the idea of the poll was to get your valued opinion on who would give us the best chance of winning USAC National Sprint Car races and a record setting 10th National Championship. Along with your suggestions we need to consider driver availability( for example Kyle Larson and Brady Bacon among others are not available to run the USAC season), driver interest , who would give us the best chance to win on the tracks where we compete and chemistry with the Team. The final decision as we indicated when starting the poll, with input from the Team, is by the person writing the checks, Richard Hoffman.

"I thought this poll would make my very difficult decision easier, instead it is now more difficult. The suggestions you have made opened up possibilities that we did not know were out there. Thank you for your support of Hoffman Racing,our marketing partners, Mean Green cleaner and degreaser, MOPAR, Hoosier tires and Lykins Oil. My Team will get together and make our decision after we return from Florida. As previously announced Brady Bacon will drive the car in Florida. Thank you for your passion for the sport that we all love", said Richard Hoffman President of Hoffman Racing.

Look for off season video #6 this week on hoffmanracing.com, face book-Hoffmanracing and you tube this week, follow us on twitter @hoffmanracing

Results of the poll:
1,500 suggestions made on 110 different drivers, 4,300 hits on hoffmanracing.com during the poll

TOP 25 DRIVER SUGGESTIONS IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER:
Brady Bacon
Steve Ball Jr
Ryan Bernal
Mark Bittner
Chad Boespflug
Darren Clayton
Hud Cone
Shane Cottle
Kyle Cummins
Dave Darland
Bobby East
Blake Fitzpatrick
Justin Grant
Kyle Larson
Brent Marks
Thomas Meseraull
Kyle Moody
Steven Shebester
Brady Short
Casey Shuman
Jon Stanbrough
Tanner Swanson
Teddy Thomas Jr
Matt Westfall
Guy Young

VIDEO UPDATE FROM THE SHOP #5  12-30-11

VIDEO UPDATE FROM THE SHOP #4  12-22-11

VIDEO UPDATE FROM THE SHOP #3  12-17-11

VIDEO UPDATE FROM THE SHOP #2  12-13-11

VIDEO UPDATE FROM THE SHOP 12-7-11

CANYON SPEEDWAY, OCT. 27-29 - QUICK IN PRACTICE ON THUR.

Jon Stanbrough ran the quickest laps recorded in Thursday nights practice at Canyon Speedway in Arizona. Keep in touch with Facebook/Twitter for reports from the track on the Fri. and Sat. races. I will !                

HOFFMAN RACING ANNOUNCES MEAN GREEN CLEANER AND DEGREASER RETURNS AS PRIMARY 2012 SEASON SPONSOR

Loveland, OH (Oct 24 ,2011) -- Hoffman Racing is announcing today that Mean Green cleaner and degreaser will return as our primary sponsor for the 2012 racing season. “ We are thrilled that Mean Green cleaner and degreaser has decided to return as our primary sponsor for 2012. I believe that Mean Green and HAR did a great job marketing the cleaner and degreaser in 2011.Our race fans have become loyal users of the brand and we want to thank them for helping HAR retain our primary sponsor” said Richard Hoffman President of HAR. “ We had a solid year of learning how to market the Mean Green brand. Working with CR Brands we will improve on a great start in 2011 concentrating on improvements in social media” said Tim Waechter VP Marketing/Public Relations HAR.
 
 
Mean Green Super Strength is an economical, powerful, multi-purposed cleaner and degreaser used to eliminate grease and grime.  Mean Green is a unique blend of biodegradable detergents, used to clean surfaces from the kitchen counter top to greasy engines parts in the garage. Find Mean Green at Wal-Mart, K-mart, Food Lion and Dollar Stores in your area.
Visit www.MeanGreenDegreaser.com for more information.
 
Mean Green is manufactured by CR Brands, Inc., with offices in West Chester, OH, and Spartanburg, SC, who manufactures and markets branded and private label laundry & household cleaning products. CR Brands' nationally branded products include Mean Green, Biz, Pine Power, Oxydol, and Magnum Power. CR Brands is a majority-owned portfolio company of Juggernaut Capital Partners, LP.
 
 
Highlights of the team’s history include: -1929-1960 Gus campaigned Sprint Cars and Midgets, his drivers included Eddie Sachs, and Don Branson - 1964 Gus’s son Richard became co-owner of the Team - 1973-1984 HAR fielded Indy Cars, including 7 Indy 500 starts - 1989 HAR won the first of 9 USAC National Sprint Car Championships with Rob Hoffman as the crew chief(’92,’93,’96,’97,’99,’02,’04,’08)
 
With 78 National Sprint Car wins and 9 National Championships, HAR has won more National races and championships than any other team in USAC sprint car history. HAR also has 7 Silver Crown wins for a total of 83 USAC National wins. In 2003 HAR was recognized for excellence by the Ohio State Senate and House of Representatives. HAR has finished in the top 3 in USAC National Sprint Car owners points 17 times since 1989.
 
Drivers from the past 85 years reads like a who’s who of racing: Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, Tracy Hines, JJ Yeley, Kasey Kahne, Kenny Irwin Jr, Rich Vogler, Dave Darland, Johnny Parsons Jr., Tim Richmond, Jay Drake, Brian Tyler, Robbie Stanley, Eric Gordon, Steve Butler , Jerry Coons Jr. Ryan Newman, Dave Steele, George Snider, Tom Bigelow Shorty Templemen, Don Branson, Eddie Sachs, Bill Puterbaugh, Elmer George, Pancho Carter, Roger Ward, Andy Michener, Kyle Larson . In all approximately 127 drivers have competed in the Hoffman cars.
Of those there are four father/son combinations , Dick and Dickie Gaines, Jim and Tracy Hines Kerry and Dave Norris, Clark and Shorty Templemen. Two brother combinations, Larry and Steve Cannon, Pancho Carter and Johnny Parsons Jr. HAR also had a stepgrandfather and stepgrandson combination of Elmer George and Ed Carpenter.
 

Tim Waechter
VP Marketing/Public Relations Hoffman Auto Racing
twbigt69@gmail.com
513-284-1519

Hoffman Racing gets NSSN center fold (click here)