In
my book the 4-Crown is truly the "Jewel" of open wheel racing. To see the
WoO winged sprints one night and then the USAC Sprints, Midgets and Silver
Crown Division the next. It just does not get any better than that. Tony
Stewart seems to find a way to improve it each year. This year he had 1/4
midgets running on "Little Eldora" a
small track he built on the premises. The Hoffman team showed up in mass
with nearly everyone there. Rob and Dan put a fast car on the track and
Jerry managed to set quick time with it and then made the transfer from
his heat.
Jerry won the first feature in the Wilke-Pak 11
midget, running away from the field. He then hurried over to the "69" for
the sprint feature. The team and knew pretty much what the track was going
to give from watching Jerry in the Midget. We started 6th and Jerry got
around 2 cars before things spread out and it was follow the leader from
there. You always want the win but you have to take some satisfaction in
the fact that you put a car on the track with the right set up, and the
driver got all he could out of it.
Its
a little longer evening with a little more time to kill between races. And
we did it in style. "Chef Al" grilled us up some pork tenderloins, Richard
and a friend of his, (I think his name was Bob Evans) whipped up some
mashed potatoes and gravy. We ended up with a feast with all the
trimmings. We even had homemade cookies and apple pie! What a way to spend
a cool fall night.
RESULTS FROM THE "JIM HURTUBISE CLASSIC" TERRE
HAUTE SEPT. 11 2010
On the anniversary of the attack on our Country, the
crew got up and turned the car around. After taking the car to the car
wash the night before, it takes the 5 of us about 2 1/2 hours to perform
normal maintenance on the car. After getting a late check out from the
hotel we have an extended lunch and with no travel time to the track , we
had some time to visit and relax before wheel packing. Terre Haute has
been a great track for us and our 12th quick time in qualifying was a
disappointment. We were not sure how the track would turn out, but it was
a decent track with a few rough areas. Our heat race was uneventful with
Jerry transferring to the A Main with a 3rd place finish behind Stockton
and Darland. We started 12th in the A main and Jerry initially got trapped
behind slower cars in his lane and fell back. Once he got his rhythm going
Jerry ran good laps and moved forward. He was trying high and low in all
corners of the track . We had nothing for Stanbrough and Darland who put
on one heck of a race. Jerry passed Cottle at the start finish line for
6th place . One more race in this part of the Country, Sept. 24th at
Eldora . See you there.
RESULTS FROM THE " BILLY MARVEL CLASSIC" LINCOLN
PARK SPEEDWAY, PUTNAMVILLE INDIANA SEPT. 10 2010
Putnamville has been a track that has challenged us in
the past. Tonight was no different. We drew an early pill and benefitted
with a 6th place qualifying effort. Jerry did a good keeping our hopes
alive for a pole start in the A Main by finishing 3rd in the 2nd heat. It
was a tough track to pass on in the heats and enough cars that out
qualified us did not transfer that we started in the 2nd row for the A
main. There were 2 very distinct lines for the A Main. High in all the
turns and huggy pole all away around the track. Jerry tried the low line
and it didn't seem to work for our car so he went high. It was frustrating
seeing cars going much slower around the bottom passing us. There was a
great race between Jerry and Jon Stanbrough for a few laps and a heck of a
race up front. We finished 6th and in one piece.
Tim Waechter
VP Marketing Hoffman Racing
513-284-1519
twbigt69@gmail.com
RESULTS FROM THE FINAL PAVEMENT RACE OF THE
YEAR-WINCHESTER 8/22 2010
The
Team departed at 7:00a.m. and arrived approximately at 9:00 a.m.. We were
the second to last USAC Team to arrive and proceeded to sit until 12:30
when we got on the track to practice. Is there not a better way ? The day
started out with optimism , we were second quick in the practice sessions
with a time in the mid 14's. When qualifying came around , 5-6 other Teams
picked up at least a 0.1 and it took a 14.3 something to make the top 6.
We stayed about the same qualifying at 14.439 good for 8th quick time. We
started on the pole in heat race 2 and were third by the time we got to
the first turn. It seems that jumping the start, which was called back for
doing the same in heat one, does not apply equally to all. Levi and Henry
Clark were by us before we hit the start/finish line. Jerry made a
masterful pass on Levi in turns 3 & 4 to finish 2nd in the heat. This
started us 8th in the 40 lap A main named for one of the greats of all
time and ex-Hoffman champion Rich Vogler. We had a good car all day and
the A Main was no exception. Shane Hmiel ran away for another pavement win
. We were in a pack of 5 cars battling most of the race. The finish of 6th
does not indicate how good of a car we had. A better starting position
with better qualifying time and who knows. The Beast is parked now until
next year and we concentrate on the dirt program. The question of what car
to run has been pretty much settled with a test run last Friday at Gas
City. It looks like the "new" F5 will hit the track at Putnamville and
Terre Haute.
Tim Waechter
VP Marketing Hoffman Racing
513-284-1519
twbigt69@gmail.com
RESULTS FROM THE
"JOE JAMES/PAT O'CONNOR MEMORIAL"- SALEM INDIANA 8/14 2010
The marathon of Salem
began with a 10:30 a.m.departure and return at 2:30 a.m. Sunday morning.
Unloading and loading are always a chore at Salem. After we were set up a
pretty severe thunderstorm hit the track and we were holding on to the
tent. Lightening struck outside turn 2 and set something on fire, sending
smoke over the turn and backstretch.
The track did a great job of drying the track and getting the program
under way. We were within a tenth or 2 of the fastest cars in the 2 hot
lap sessions. Of course we drew a low number on a pavement track and we
were first out to qualify. Jerry turned a lap of 15.824 good for 6th
quick, meaning we would be on the pole for the A Main if we transferred
through the heat. We accomplished the goal by winning heat number 2 ,
starting in the front row and leading every lap. Unfortunately the pole
position for the 50 lap event did not help us. The car which had not been
loose all day, was loose and we were in P4 by the time 1 lap was
completed. We fell consistently in the race for a disappointing 9th place
finish. Looking for better things at Winchester this Sunday.
Tim Waechter
VP Marketing Hoffman Racing
513-284-1519
twbigt69@gmail.com
RESULTS FROM THE
THIRD TRIP TO IOWA THIS YEAR OSKALOOSA "ULTIMATE CHALLENGE"
The
weather in Iowa continued to be oppressive with heat indexes well over 100
and severe thunder storms and flooding rains continuing every night. The
Team enjoyed the day off Monday after doing routine maintenance on the
car. We headed to The National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in Knoxville in the
afternoon. The Team had as many as 8-10
pictures in various parts of the Hall. The biggest thrills we seeing the
clip of Old Timer being inducted. This was the first time that A.J., his
name sake, saw the Hall and the ceremony for his great grandfather. Also
seeing the prototype of the famous Hoffman number 1 diecast car, that has
sold out, was emotional for all especially bringing out memories for Rob.
The format for the race at Osky was different again this year. Passing
points were awarded for the heat races which determined the line up for
the qualifying races , which determined the line up for the $15,000 to win
A main. Drawing
another
"bad" pill,( 59 of 60 available) put us in the rear of heat race 3.. Jerry
was able to pass 3 cars which started us up front in qualifying race
number 2. Jerry won the race with a car that looked to be improved. Jerry
started 8th in the A Main and got as high as 5th place and made 2 attempts
to get by Damion for 4th. Dave Darland came out of no where seemingly in
the last 2 laps and passed us in turn 4 of the last lap to give us a 6th
place finish. We just got the back door of the trailer shut, when another
tremendous storm hit. We wish the best for the good people of Iowa with
the flooding rains. We missed our leader "the Great One"and brother Tom
who had to stay home to take care of business. A.J. did a tremendous job
as always and my wife Diane did a great job cleaning mud off the car.
Paul Arch Photos
KNOXVILLE NATIONALS FOR NON-WINGED SPRINT
CARS
It is always a thrill to pull into to Knoxville, what an awesome track
and facility. The track personnel are courteous and very efficient. A poor
qualifying performance again
put us in a hole for the remainder of the night and our streak of bad luck
and an unpredictable car continued. During the heat race we were running
in a transfer position when the MSD box became dislodged from the dash
board and shut the car down. Starting deep in the B main Jerry got the car
in transfer position by the end of 10 laps. Starting last in the A Main,
we had a decent car and Jerry was able to pass a number of cars and finish
14th. Another disappointing night with this Super Maxim. The trip to the
car wash after the race was the capper of an ugly night. We got caught in
a storm with rain blowing side ways and my wife Diane thinking she would
find 4 piles of ash that would be all that was left of the crew after
lightning struck all around.
Tim Waechter
VP Marketing Hoffman Racing
513-284-1519
twbigt69@gmail.com
RESULTS FROM
LINCOLN PARK SPEEDWAY-PUTNAMVILLE INDIANA JULY 24 2010
The night started out
with a promising draw and a great qualifying effort. Drawing pill #3 and
qualifying second, Jerry had 2nd quick time turing a 12.814 time. This was
behind Damion who turned an unbelievable 12.497. On a track that was hard
to pass and with a car that was "plowing" the front end, Jerry ran a
disappointing 7th in the 2nd heat. The crew added stagger and changed a
bar for the B main and the car was better, but still "plowed" the front
end and Jerry ran 2nd to Henry Clarke. The best we could start was 7th in
the A Main, due to not transferring in the heat. The car looked better in
the A Main and Jerry made a few passes and got by Damion for 6th. Damion
fought back and during the heated battle Jerry clipped an infield tire in
turn 4 on lap 20 and spun the car. The chance we had to make up points on
3rd place went away. Jerry passed a few cars in the remaining laps and
finished
15th.
Tim Waechter
VP Marketing Hoffman Racing
513-284-1519
twbigt69@gmail.com
THE FINAL 3
RACES OF INDIANA SPRINT WEEK
HAUBSTADT 7/17/2010
A mid-pack qualifying time meant we had to dig once again. A second
place in the heat race transferred us to the A Main. Again the crew was
trying to figure out what the car wanted, especially in the "bar
department". Before the A Main both rear and front bar combinations
were changed to get the car rotating better in the corners. A good
start was negated by getting caught up in someone else's mess. Jerry
had no where to go when cars in front of him spun , flipped and blocked
the track. Coming from the back,
we got a 12th place finish to finish off a disappointing Indiana
Sprint Week performance. We will be back at it, more determined than
ever at Putnamville this Saturday.
BLOOMINGTON 7/16/2010
We were all waiting for things to turn
around at Bloomington. Luck had to come our way sooner or later. It
wasn't sooner at Bloomington. A great qualifying effort, good for 5th
quick was negated in the heat race. Jerry was coming through the field
and in 2nd place when a motor with only 6 races on it since rebuild,
blew. This set in motion a series of events we will not soon forget. A
new Stanton Mopar was delivered the night before. It was a challenge
getting it in the car in time for the B main. It was hectic to say the
least. In the process of changing motors, the 4th generation Hoffman,
my partner A.J., Rob's son, was hit in the head and cut. The paramedics
came to his aid , but a trip to the hospital took Rob there as well.
Dan , Richard and the rest of the crew did an unbelievable job
finishing off the motor transfer in time for the B Main.
Jerry ran away with the race. In between
the B main and A Main, the throttle was adjusted. The motor would not
throttle back in the A Main, causing a big challenge for Jerry. He
gutted it out for a 12th place finish. Not indicative of how good the
car was during the race. Thankfully A.J. is fine .
BROWNSTOWN 7/15/2010
Not much to say about Brownstown. A poor
qualifying time dug a big hole for us again. Jerry won the 3rd heat
going away on a dry slick racetrack. Starting in the back
we struggled in the A Main , finishing
15th on a very poor racetrack.
Qualified 12th at the
"Big" half mile. Jerry won his heat to get our time back for the "A" main.
We started 10th and Jerry had his job cut out for him to get to the front.
A flip took out 2 cars ahead of us, and shortly after that the car started
to come in for us. Jerry was making progress 3/4's through the race when
all of a sudden we started losing ground. Jerry was still able to bring it
home 4th, in the pits we found out later the problem was a right rear
losing air out of the puncture we got on the track. A better start to this
week and hope to improve more as Jerry and Rob get used to the Maxim
chassis.
Tim Waechter and
Webmaster
RESULTS FROM THE
FIRST WEEK OF INDIANA SPRINT WEEK JULY 9-11 2010
KOKOMO JULY 11
We are getting better with the Maxim. We have
improved our result each night of Sprint Week . We drew an early number
for once on a night where it wasn't necessarily an advantage. Jerry ran a
12.707 in the first qualifying group. The track seemed to get better with
the next 4 groups and then slowed up with the last groups. Our time was
good for 4th quick. Unfortunately we not able to transfer through heat 4 ,
although Jerry gave it all he had and just missed the transfer. That meant
that we had to run the B main and did not make the 6 car transfer for the
A Main. Jerry took the lead and led every lap to win the B Main. A few
changes were made for the A Main. We started in P8 and had a great car.
Jerry was running high in all 4 turns and was especially fast of turn 4,
getting great runs and took the lead on lap 11. Jerry had a good lead on
P2 when 3 reds and several yellows allowed the pack to catch up and Levi
took the lead on
lap 19. We believe that the right rear sealed over and we fell to P 5 by
the checkered . We will never know what would have happened if the race
went green from lap 18-30. The Team was disappointed but also encouraged
that we are making strides with the new car. See you at The Action Track.
GAS CITY JULY 10
A bad draw didn't help us at Gas City. A 20th qualifying result meant that
we had a big hole to dig out of throughout the night. Jerry dominated heat
race 4 after starting up front and leading every lap. It was a huggy pole
event . Starting P15 in the A Main, we got caught up in a traffic jam on
the narrow track and fell to P19 in a few laps. We had a much better car
and Jerry started his march to the front. We were wishing
for a 40 lap feature at that point. We had caught the P2-P7 cars by lap
28, they were all running together, and we were faster. Another night of a
positive step with the Maxim.
LAWRENCEBURG JULY 9 After winning 2 races at The Burg last year
and another this year, we had an embarrassing night on the opener for
Sprint Week. A 27th fast time set us up at the back of a heat race (not
making the 24 car invert). We didn't make it in the heat race and started
deep in the B Main. The Team decided to make the B Main a test session
knowing we could take a provisional for the A Main. The car was better in
the A Main and was a
step forward with the new car. I could not detail all the bar changes that
were made during the night. We have a big learning curve at the wrong time
of the year.
Tim Waechter
VP Marketing Hoffman Racing
513-284-1519
twbigt69@gmail.com
TOLEDO
SPEEDWAY JULY 2ND- FLAT REAR TIRE RUINS A GOOD NIGHT
We
had another good car on the pavement in Toledo. The times in hot laps
were so close that a 0.1 either way in qualifying would make a big
difference. Jerry ran a 14.8 lap good for 6th quick, which is good on
any night. Toledo is a tough place to pass and that was the case in our
heat race. The track was pretty well blocked ahead of us after starting
the heat in the back. Unfortunately Jerry and Chris Windom got together
in "a racing deal", sending
Jerry spinning and Chris into the wall. There was no damage to the 69
fortunately and Jerry continued ,transferring to the A Main. When 2
cars did not transfer through their heats, we started 4th instead of on
the pole. The car started out quick and Jerry was quickly in P3. We
started to drop shortly there after, dropping to P7 by lap 16, P12 by
lap 24. A red flag on lap 33 gave us a chance to get the car off the
track . The crew checked the car, changed the right front tire and then
found a rear tire with 1/3rd the pressure it should have had and changed
it. That was the problem as in the remaining 18 laps Jerry made up 5
positions and finished P9. Now the most exciting and most exhausting
part of the schedule begins Friday at our home track, The Burg. Looking
forward to a great Sprint Week with the new Maxim.
Tim Waechter
VP Marketing
Hoffman Racing
513-284-1519
ANOTHER GOOD
RUN AT ORP, 2ND PLACE AGAIN IN THE A MAIN
We have been very competitive this year at ORP. A day of testing earlier
this year set the foundation which has helped us stay very consistently
fast. Last night we were 3rd quick in practice, again turning
consistent laps in the 20.4 range. Front springs were changed several
times during the night, and minor stagger adjustments were good for a
5th fast time in qualifying. Jerry was very comfortable that he could
run these laps all night long, as opposed to a few quicker laps and then
falling off in time. Our heat race was a nail bitter, as Jerry
encountered a 2-3 wide car road block trying to finish in the top 5
after starting in the back with the invert. We finished 4th and
transferred to the A Main starting outside front row. Kody Swanson took
the lead and Jerry got by on lap 5 and led until lap 12. Shane Hmiel
sure has ORP figured out. Once he cleared his own road block, you could
see him coming and passed Jerry on lap 13 for the lead. The longer the
run , the faster we got. We had a very comfortable lead over P3 at the
checkered and we were clearly the 2nd best car at ORP for the second
time this year. Tonight is the last pavement race for over a month as we
head to Toledo. Indiana sprint week is just around the corner.
The long trip to Iowa marked the
first USAC race for the new Maxim. We all knew that we would have a
learning curve with a new car , new manufacturer and new motor. The trip
to Lawrenceburg to run the regular weekly show ,with USAC Midget week, was
a good tune up. We were quick in the hot lap session at Burlington and
managed to qualify 6th quick with a time of 15.2, quick time was 14.9.
Burlington did a good job preparing the track as it seemed to get better
as the sun went down with moisture coming back to the top. The 3rd heat
was wild with a nasty flip and good competition, Jerry managed to finish
3rd, coming from the back, and transferred. That put us on the pole for
the A Main. The learning curve bit us in the feature. Dave Darland got a
jump on us and took the lead. The car seemed to work well in turns 1 &2,
but we struggled in 3 &4. Jerry tried both low and high during the event
in 3&4 as well as 1&2. We never found a combination that worked well and
consistently fell during the A Main, finishing 8th. We think a lot was
learned by this painful experience and we look forward to being very
competitive in Sprint Week. Before we start that critically important part
of the schedule, we have a pair of pavement races this week. Thursday at
ORP and Friday in Toledo. See you there.
Tim Waechter
VP Marketing Hoffman Racing
513-284-1519
twbigt69@gmail.com
New Maxim dirt car assembled and ready to
go!
Dan and the crew have been working hard and are
ready for the next dirt race.
RESULTS FROM BERLIN RACEWAY , MARNE MICHIGAN
6/12/2010
There isn't much to say about our day at
Berlin Raceway except that we never got a handle on the track. We were
slow from the first practice session and regardless of what Rob threw at
the car we didn't get any better. Various spring combinations, a change of
cross weight, stagger changes and other changes did not help the car.
Jerry did win the first heat race by getting out front early and driving
away.
The car was a handful in the A Main and we even called in Jerry at the lap
25 yellow to adjust stagger . It made for a very long 6 hour trip home.
The crew , especially Dan , will be busy building the new dirt car in time
for the next race, June 26th in Burlington Iowa.
LAST LAP PASS FOR 2ND HIGHLIGHTS A GOOD RUN AT
ORP
We tested at ORP a few weeks back and had
a good car. We could consistently run laps of 20.4 seconds after hard work
by Jerry and the crew. Last night in the 2 practice sessions we were stuck
at 21.0 as a fast time , good for 8th quick among the 21 car field. We put
on a new right rear , Rob and Dan made stagger changes and a few shock
settings and we were back at 20.481 . This time was 3rd quick in time
trials. Jerry easily transferred to the A Main in the 3rd heat race and
started outside 2nd row for the A main. Jerry got a good start on the
restart and was in P3 by the end of lap 1. He had a nice lead on P4 by lap
9. Jerry started to catch Henry Clarke for P2 by lap 16. We were closing
on the front 2 cars by lap 23. A yellow on lap 26 put lapped cars to the
rear and Damion Gardner on our back bumper for the restart. Jerry got a
great restart and closed on Clarke by lap 28 and tried to find a way
around a car that was getting wider and wider. He got it done making an
exciting pass coming out of turn 4 on lap 30 and motored to the checkered
flag in 2nd place. A good run and performance by the Team. We came home
with a second car, a new Maxim dirt car. We are heading to Michigan for
another pavement race Saturday at Berlin.
Tim Waechter
VP Marketing Hoffman Racing
513-284-1519
twbigt69@gmail.com
June 4, 2010 – Minersville, Pennsylvania –
Big Diamond Raceway – “Eastern Storm”
Still struggling with the new car. Jerry was able to pass a couple of cars
and bring it home 8th in last nights feature. Some pavement races are
coming up soon, hopefully we can do well and recover what we lost in the
point race.
June 3, 2010 – New Egypt, New Jersey – New Egypt
Speedway – “Eastern Storm”
Another
night of trying to dial in a new chassis. Even though they are nearly
identical it is some times hard to use the same set ups. The car ran good
early in the feature, passing a couple of cars in the first few laps.
Unfortunately the car got harder to handle from then on. On to the final
track "Big Diamond" we have high hopes for tonight.
It safe to
say we had a much better night at Lincoln. At least we got to finish the
Feature. In fact the car was really coming around at the end and Jerry
found a groove that was making progress. The track slicked over early in
the night and by the 40 lap feature it was tough to find any moisture, or
a cushion. Jerry tried every line on the track before settling for the
bottom. This proved to be the fast groove for the Hoffman "69" and Jerry
then passed some cars to finish 8th. Photos by:Tom Angstadt
FEATURE: (30 laps) 1. Levi Jones, 2. Chris Windom, 3. Bryan Clauson, 4.
Johnny Mackison, 5. Brian Monteith, 6. Damion Gardner, 7. Dave Darland, 8.
Jerry Coons Jr., 9. Henry Clarke, 10. Ricky Williams, 11. Mark Bitner, 12.
Tracy Hines, 13. Kyle Moody, 14. J.C. Bland, 15. Kyle Robbins, 16. Brent
Marks, 17. Chase Stockon, 18. Casey Shuman, 19. J.R. Berry, 20. Shane
Hmiel, 21. Bob Howard, 22. Landon Simon. NT
------------------------------ FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-3 Clauson, Laps 4-11 Gardner, Laps 12-30
Clauson, Laps 31-40 Jones.
NEW AMSOIL NATIONAL SPRINT POINTS: 1-Gardner-735; 2-Jones-731;
3-Clauson-671; 4-Coons-662; 5-Hines-631; 6-Windom-596; 7-Clarke-521;
8-Robert Ballou-470; 9-Darland-470; 10-Hmiel-345.
NEW RACER’S CHALLENGE (Presented by RW & Our Partners) SPRINT POINTS:
1-Jones-145; 2-Clauson-129; 3-Windom-127; 4-Gardner-122; 5-Darland-106;
6-Hines-90; 7-Williams-89; 8-Clarke-87; 9-Mackison-80; 10-Coons-73.
NEXT AMSOIL NATIONAL SPRINT RACE: June 3 – New Egypt (NJ) Speedway
NOT A GOOD
NIGHT AT Bechtelsville, PA. - “Jesse Hockett Classic,”
We had a
pretty good night going at Bechtelsville, that is until the Feature. The
car had came in and Jerry was in 5th on lap 20 working his way to front.
That is when it all came undone, Jerry tagged the wall on the backstretch
and it flipped violently destroying the car. The most important thing is
that Jerry was only bruised and shaken up. Cars can be replaced and this
one was.
It was night to see a track that does not
usually run traditional sprints Honor the late Jessie Hockett, who
had won last years event.
QUALIFICATIONS: 1. Levi Jones, 20, Stewart-13.814; 2. Damion Gardner, 71,
DG-13.845; 3. Dave Darland, 39, Goodnight-13.896; 4. Tracy Hines, 4,
Hines-13.902; 5. Chris Windom, 11, Walker-13.904; 6. Bryan Clauson, 2B,
RWB-13.911; 7. Jerry Coons Jr., 69, Dynamics-13.962; 8. Henry Clarke, 67,
Kunz-14.005; 9. Ricky Williams, 11w, Williams-14.026; 10. Caleb Armstrong,
7, C & A-14.119; 11. Chase Stockon, 32, Stockon-14.131; 12. Shane Hmiel,
17s, 56 Inc.-14.287; 13. Kyle Robbins, 17R, Robbins-14.339; 14. Bill Rose,
6, Rose-14.356; 15. J.C. Bland, 98, Bland-14.359; 16. Mark Bitner, 15,
Bitner-14.771; 17. Josh Weller, 63, Weller-14.828; 18. Kyle Moody, 99m,
Moody-14.883; 19. Landon Simon, 24, Simon-14.892; 20. Johnny Mackison, 65,
Mackison-14.911; 21. J.R. Berry, 74, Berry-15.062; 22. Jeff Geiges, 67x,
Pietrofitta-15.555; 23. Jonathan Swanson, 17J, Swanson-15.559; 24. Steve
Petry, 8, Petry-16.748; 25. Tim Clauson, 7x, C & A-NT.
FEATURE: (40 laps) 1. Levi Jones, 2. Bryan Clauson, 3. Damion Gardner, 4.
Chris Windom, 5. Dave Darland, 6. Tracy Hines, 7. Henry Clarke, 8. Ricky
Williams, 9. Bill Rose, 10. Chase Stockon, 11. Mark Bitner, 12. J.R.
Berry, 13. Kyle Moody, 14. Johnny Mackison, 15. Shane Hmiel, 16. Kyle
Robbins, 17. Jerry Coons Jr., 18. Josh Weller, 19. J.C. Bland, 20. Jeff
Geiges, 21. Landon Simon, 22. Jonathan Swanson, 23. Steve Petry. NT
**C.Armstrong flipped during the first heat and was transported to a local
hospital for observation. Coons flipped on lap 21 of the feature. Hmiel
flipped on lap 36 of the feature.
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-28 Windom, Lap 29 Jones, Lap 30 Windom, Laps
31-40 Jones.
NEW AMSOIL NATIONAL SPRINT POINTS: 1-Gardner-679; 2-Jones-658;
3-Coons-615; 4-Clauson-608; 5-Hines-597; 6-Windom-530; 7-Clarke-480;
8-Robert Ballou-470; 9-Darland-423; 10-Hmiel-327.
RECORD WIN #76 COMES AT THE
ACTION TRACK AFTER "ONE OF THE MOST SPECTACULAR LEAD DUALS IN THE USAC
SPRINT CAR HISTORY"
+1
Qualifying was scraped due to the
late start and heat races were lined up by draw, feature
starting line up was done by passing points. Numerous changes
were made during the night as the track went from very slimy to
a good track by feature race time. Jerry started on the pole in
heat race 4 and ran away with the win. Clauson, Gardner, Windom
and Darland were all in our heat, so it was no walk in the park.
Of course after sitting for hours the show was put on nuclear
timing, so we didn't have much time
to prep the car for the A
Main after the heat race. Numerous tire changes were made to
get the desired stagger and Rob pulled the rabbit out of his hat
again. Jerry started on the pole and took the lead on the
second start after a red flag on lap 1. He led laps 1-7 until
Levi got by on lap 8, not to be denied Jerry motored by on lap 9
and led until lap 21. Lapped traffic played a role in Levi
getting by again on lap 22. Jerry got by Levi again on lap 26
only to have Levi go back in the lead on lap 27. If you could
have looked in Jerry's eyes you would have known that he was
going to win. What a duel as Jerry got by on lap 28 with a
tremendous move and won another big race. It was a happy trip
home with an arrival time of 3:10 a.m.
A short turn around as we head for the Eastern swing next week.
RESULTS OF OUR
FIRST TRIP TO THE GREAT STATE OF IOWA-IOWA SPEEDWAY 5/22/2010
I was in the
front of the truck with Dan late on the 21st as we approached
Iowa. The glow on the horizon was brilliant as we approached
"almost heaven" ,Iowa, Dan's home state. It is always
inspiring to see the crowd at the border welcoming Dan home.
We always enjoy the presence of Dan's family . We missed his
Dad and we are hopeful he will make our next 2 races this year
in Iowa.
We were third fast in the first practice on this beautiful ,
high speed, race track. We have always been fast here, being
fast qualifier twice. As others got faster for the second
practice session, we stayed the same, dropping to 6th quick.
Our qualifying effort was very disappointing , only good for
8th quick. We had hours before we raced. This gave Rob, Dan
and Richard time to think about changes for the 50 lap race.
Rob made the decision to go to a set up we used in Iowa in
2006. This was a big change from the set up we were using.
Rob had little time to explain the changes to Jerry as Jerry
was very busy running 3 cars. Rob told Jerry "it is fixed".
It sure was fixed. Starting 8th in the first 30 lap segment,
Jerry got by the 67 car on lap 5 and the 11 car on lap 8. By
lap 14 the 07 car was coming on and Jerry was closing on Hines
and Jones. We were definitely catching the 4th and 5th place
cars by the end of the 30 lap first segment. A minor
stagger change and other minor changes were made and the car
was refueled at the break. Jerry passed Hines on the outside
on lap 31 and was closing on Levi. Jerry got him low on lap 38
and headed for the 3 lead cars they had a big lead. The yellow
we needed came on lap 44 when one of the leaders blew up.
Jerry was right there with the top 2 when the checkered flew
on lap 50, a few more laps , who knows. A great gutsy call by
Rob on the changes which gave Jerry a great car for the
feature. See you at Terre Haute.
Tim Waechter
VP Marketing Hoffman Racing
513-284-1519
twbigt69@gmail.com
A GOOD NIGHT AT ELDORA GOES
SOUTH QUICKLY
After heavy rains the track
was slimy to begin the night and the 40th pill out of 41 we
drew seemed like it could be good for us. A number of small
changes were made after
hot laps before we went out to qualify. Jerry ran a 16.4
which was good for 4th quick and 0.2 off the fast time set
by Clauson, who was the 1st qualifier. USAC decided to run
3 heat races and take 5 out of each heat. We had to start
in the rear of the 9 car field and Jerry got to a transfer
spot quickly and stayed there. More changes were made for
the A Main, to keep up with the changing track. The track
actually started to blow dust in the semi. We started 4th
in the A Main and who knows what kind of car we had, as the
motor expired after only 2 laps. It was major with a hole
in the bottom end the size of a baseball. This motor only
had a few races on it after an overhaul. Next up is testing
Friday at ORP in preparation of the pavement races coming up
on the schedule. The first is the next race at Newton Iowa.
RAIN RAIN GO AWAY-BLOOMINGTON RAINED OUT
Last week it was a trip to Putnamville with rain washing
out the program before we got unloaded. This week we got on
the track, with the same result, rain out. The new dirt at
Bloomington looked great and was fast. Usually a low draw
number is a good thing, not tonight at Bloomington. We drew
number 9 and when Jerry qualified the track was still slimy and "came in" about
10 cars after us. We were the fastest car in our group, but
we kept falling as the track came in with the 2nd-3rd group.
The 12th qualifying position was not indicative of the good
car we had. The 1st heat ran and the 2nd was on the track
when the storm hit and washed out the remainder of the program. Now we have to hope for
good weather Wednesday at Eldora (a make up date). We also
are testing with the pavement car next week for the upcoming
pavement races. Rumor is we are looking for a new
meteorologist, our webmaster failed terribly in predicting
that the rain would stay to the north of Bloomington!
Tim Waechter
VP
Marketing Hoffman Racing
513-284-1519
WHAT EFFECT DOES 3 USAC NATIONAL SPRINT CAR RACES WITH THE
HOFFMAN TEAM IN 3 DAYS HAVE ON YOU. - YOU BE THE
JUDGE!!!!!!!!!!!
BEFORE
AFTER
National
USAC Sprint car victory number 75 came on the 2nd of 3 races
this past weekend. We were able to come home every night and
turn the car around in the shop. There are a lot of tired USAC Sprint Teams and we are one of the "most experienced"
so speaking for myself- did the get the number of that
truck?
KOKOMO APRIL 18
An
early draw didn't help as the track was slimy when we
qualified. We transferred through heat race 1 and as luck
would have it started the A Main outside front row for the
3rd night in a row. We quickly started to drop to P 5 by
lap 6 and went as far back as P7 on lap 8. Jerry made some
great cockpit adjustments and the car started to come to
life on lap 23. Jerry drove his heart out and was coming
and closing on the leaders when the checkered flew. The P4
wrapped up a good weekend for the Team, with an historic win
and two other good finishes to close the gap in the
championship hunt. A little breather before our next race
May 1 at Putnamville.
LAWRENCEBURG APRIL 17
A
good qualifying effort by Jerry again put us 5th quick on
our home track. We transferred to the A Main via a 4th
place finish in heat 2 and giving us a outside pole starting
position. Damion was inside of us as the green flew and got
the jump on us. Jerry got it back and both the car and the
driver were clearly the class of the field. Jerry had the
car on a rail, catching lapped traffic by lap 12. Jerry led
all the laps when the yellow we didn't want to see came on
lap 27, with a straight away lead. New rules this year put
the lapped trafic to the rear after lap 25 and that put
Ballou on our rear bumper with 3 to go. A red flag ensued a
lap later and we again had to hold off the field. No problem
for Jerry as historic win #75 was celebrating in victory
lane at The Burg. Yes that was win #75!!!! A
dominating win and a great job by all.
All
Lawrenceburg Photos Property and Courtesy of
TandSRacingphotos.com
Contact them for prints,
GAS CITY APRIL 16
The
pill draw has been an adventure all year , so Jerry stepped
up to turn our luck around and drew the last pill. That
didn't deter him as he we were 5th quick . We we were
involved in an incident when Damion lost the car in turn 3
and gathered us up. The car was okay and a red flag ensued
putting us at the back of the field for the 2nd time.
Jerry drove hard and and we transferred finishing 4th and
catching Damion when the checkered flew. We had a great
starting position, outside row 1and got the lead on lap 1.
lap 6 we went to P2 and held that until lap 8 when Tracy
passed us. The left rear was shrinking and the car was
tight and then loose through the turns. Jerry held on for
what we thought was a 5th place finish, only to learn the
next day it was really 6th. ??????
Tim
Waechter
VP
Marketing Hoffman Racing
513-284-1519
YOUNGEST TEAM MEMBER IN THE
NEWS
A.J.
Hoffman, Great Grandson of Gus Hoffman and 4th
generation (crew member in training) catches the lens of Julia
Johnson. As printed in this weeks edition of National Speed
Sport News, Chris Economaki's
collumn.
Everything was in place for a great opening night at
Eldora, everything but the track that is. Rob suspected
there could be a problem when we first arrived and the four
wheeler sunk down into the track. In defense of Tony Stewart
and Eldora, newly added clay to the track surface did not have
enough time to mix and compress. The track looked wet, but
each attempt to fix it resulted in failure when the cars hot
lapped. All the dust would have put the drivers safety in
jeopardy and would have prevented the spectators from enjoying
or maybe even seeing the race. It was disappointing and
frustrating for the fans who traveled there. "It proved again
that there is no fan like a wingless sprinter fan" as few left
as the track crew kept trying to get a raceable surface. Its a
shame the powers at be did not have the foresight to cancel
the whole weekend on Friday.
As
the veteran team we are, we made the best of it. We worked
with the car visited with friends, made new ones and talked
with the other teams and drivers.
We also figured it was a good
time to start braking in the next generation crew member (A.J.
Hoffman). Our tire man, is retired from his full time job now,
and we figure we better have a back up.
The
Team made our annual trip to WLW radio and the KOI Racing
report on March 28. Host "Segman Dennison" and
co-hosts Dennis Neal and Bobby Schmidt made us feel very
welcome as always and we think it was a very entertaining
show. Tommy
Hoffman made his first trip with us and answered a very
difficult question posed by a caller on the first USAC
National win by Hoffman Racing. It great time was had by
all and we thank everyone who called in with questions.
Photos below are from WLW and our annual Fish Fry/Open
House.
RESULTS FROM PERRIS AUTO SPEEDWAY- RESCHEDULED FOR 2/28/2010
The rain in the West again caused havoc with the schedule
and forced the postponement of the Perris event until
Sunday. Again Rob had to be home for work on Monday and
with Tim home ill, Dan was once again left by himself with
Jerry. Thankfully Jerry Sr. made the trip. The program
started in the afternoon with the sun shining and of course
drying out the track. We could not have drawn a worst pill.
Pulling the last possible pill for the sprint cars and with
sprint cars qualifying after the midgets, Jerry was the last
car to qualify for the day. Thee was not much track left,
but Dan did a great job setting up the car and Jerry drove
the car hard . His first lap was just above 18 seconds and
picked it up big time on lap 2 with a time of 17.673, good
enough for 8th quick. This gave us a fighting chance the
rest of the event.
It was tough to pass in heat 4, with Jerry starting 5th. He
drove the car hard and finally made the pass for the
transfer spot. Enough cars did not transfer that we were
able to start 4th in the A Main. This was a big break.
Levi got by us initially and by lap 4 we were 6th. We had
fallen to 7th by lap 11 and pretty much held that ground the
rest of the race, developing a big lead over the 8th place
car by the checkered flag. Dan will head home March 1 and
we will be ready and excited for 2 nights of racing at
Eldora in 4 weeks.
LasVegas 2/25/2010
Last year Las Vegas ate tires , it seemed we had to trash 2
rears every time we went out on the track. Rob and Tim were
scheduled to fly to Vegas on the morning of the race, but
Tim became very ill and had to stay home, leaving the crew
short handed again. We have gotten better on dry slick
tracks which is evidenced by our fast time in qualifying of
19.191, 0.2 faster than our old friend Tracy Hines. The
track was easier on tires this year as the track prep was
much improved. We were unable to get through the traffic in
the first heat and had to run the B Main. Jerry ran away in
the B Main, easily winning the race . It was tough passing
for us in the A Main as Jerry stayed in the top cars the
entire race and finished 5th after starting 7th.
Tim
Waechter
VP
Marketing Hoffman Racing
513-284-1519
THE
UPS AND DOWNS OF THE COPPER WORLD ON DIRT-USA RACEWAY TUCSON
ARIZONA
A big improvement for the Race Team on night
2 after Tuesday's scheduled race was rained out. We drew a
latter pill which worked out for us. We had the fast time in
hot laps turning a lap of 14.8. The track was much different
from the very wet track of night 1. The track was more packed.
Jerry set a new track record with a lap of 15.039. Passing was
tough again as Jerry was able to transfer in heat 1 by
finishing 4th. Rob and Dan made very few changes on the night,
a few front shock changes and stagger changes were made. Jerry
started 6th with the invert in the A Main and steadily moved
forward moving into P 5 by lap 2 , P4 by lap 19 and P 24 by
lap 24. The car was improving as the A Main progressed and a
yellow on lap 24 was 1 short of moving lapped cars to the back
and out of the way. The remaining 6 laps were tough trying to
pass 4 lapped cars to get to P2 and P1. Jerry finished a
strong 3rd . A good night as Dan turns the rig West to Tuscon
for this Friday and Saturday at the Cooper World on dirt.
NIGHT 1 AT EAST
BAY 2/8/2010
Most
of the time the draw of an early pill is good news on a dirt
track. This
night was the opposite . The track was very slimy and got
better and better as qualifying went on. Jerry's laps looked
perfect, but there was no track to grab. As a result we
qualified 12th. The track then got to be pretty much one
groove. Jerry ran 2nd in the 4th heat after getting by some
slower cars. In the A Main the car was not good for about
half the race and seemed to "come in" from lap 15 on, but we
were unable to improve on our 12th starting spot. A
disappointment to start the season.