[1] His Chevy was nicknamed "Hang 'Em High" because his wheelstands scraped the car's bumper.

[1] He drove a series of doorslammers and appeared to be a Pro Stock driver, but then he decided to start racing the faster funny cars.

[1] He sold his construction company in 1978 to buy the Radici & Wise funny car operation.

[1] He went across the United States for three months with Sid Waterman at California to learn about the car.

"Not only did I win a couple of championships, but I got the chance to meet the people from Blower Drive Service from Whittier, California.

"[1] Hofmann added, "That allowed me to hire Tom Anderson as a crew chief, one of the best moves I ever made.

[1] Along with wife Helen, Tom Anderson and crew Jimbo Ermolovich, Brian MacDermott, Rob Hyson, Larry Liu, Janet Rantala, Jim Leclair.

That year the team finished third in the Funny car points, behind Chuck Etchells and John Force and winning only at Houston.

[3] His comeback peaked eight months later with a win at the Revell Nationals in Dallas that October.

I bought a motorhome and took a trip all over the country with my wife, Susie, who is Johnny West's sister and a former worker on the NHRA Safety Safari team.

"[1] Hofmann died March 20, 2008, of a heart attack at his RV park in Eustis, Florida.