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RIP Al.............. (1 Viewer)

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OH my I have been so busy the last couple days I haven't got on the internet and when I did I find this!!! WOW RIP Al what a awesome driver and man he was. So sad!:(
 
I've been thinking about Al the last couple days and I thought about something that will always remind us all of Al Hofmann. I'm sure many here remember Al's horrible crash at Gainesville in 1997. His injuries were caused mostly by the I-beams that held up the steal gaurdrails past the finish line. It is my understanding that NHRA began changing out the steal rails for concrete walls (in the shutdown area) at tracks as a direct result of Al's crash and injuries. So when you see those walls past the finish line, remember Al.

Dave
 
Registered member said:
I've been thinking about Al the last couple days and I thought about something that will always remind us all of Al Hofmann. I'm sure many here remember Al's horrible crash at Gainesville in 1997. His injuries were caused mostly by the I-beams that held up the steal gaurdrails past the finish line. It is my understanding that NHRA began changing out the steal rails for concrete walls (in the shutdown area) at tracks as a direct result of Al's crash and injuries. So when you see those walls past the finish line, remember Al.

Dave
Click to expand...

Shame the NHRA didn't have concrete walls a year earlier, then Blaine Johnson might be with us today. And Al wouldn't have got banged up so bad. Sorry for derailing the thread, but the NHRA had money and though the concrete cost more then the guard rails, they shouldn't have been cheap for so long. That stuff really burns me up inside! I watched Al's crash a few weeks ago, watching drag racing 97 and it's painful to watch.

:(
 
Just realized there are two threads going about Al Hoffman and looks like they need to be merged. I posted my thoughts and memories on the other thread and now have about 80 posts to read through on this one.

Again, thanks for the memories, Al. You will be missed by many, and my thoughts, prayers and sincere condolences go out to your family. RIP
 
I am shocked & saddened to say the least. Al Hofmann by far, was one of my all-time favorite racers. It's been mentioned on here already, but when I thought of him, it was guts, grit, and determination to race. My Dad always called him " Back Alley Al" because to him, he looked like a guy you wouldn't want to meet in a back alley. Of course as fans, we knew him as a tough racer, a will to win, and loved HIS fans.

My first memory of him was from 1981 at Capitol Raceway for the King of Kings with his black China Syndrome Dodge Challenger. I'd love to see a pic of that car. Best memories of him was watching him light it up at Maple Grove in 1991, crisping & blistered the BDS Probe, only to have the rear quarter panel fly off the car the next pass. We watched them fix the body, mixing resin & fiber mat to patch it up, and curing it with halogen lamps. A few of Leong's crew helped out. The big wheelstand in 1994 in round 1 of the Keystones looked like it was gonna be a FC blowover.

One tough racer, God Bless him and his family. He'll be missed.
 
As a mark of respect - Al's last name is "Hofmann" - one F, two Ns. I always thought it was appropriate for such a unique individual to have a unique way of spelling his last name.

Of course, he was always "Al" and never "Mr. Hofmann," so maybe it was just the media folks who learned to spell his last name correctly.
 
Last edited:
Registered member said:
I've been thinking about Al the last couple days and I thought about something that will always remind us all of Al Hofmann. I'm sure many here remember Al's horrible crash at Gainesville in 1997. His injuries were caused mostly by the I-beams that held up the steal gaurdrails past the finish line. It is my understanding that NHRA began changing out the steal rails for concrete walls (in the shutdown area) at tracks as a direct result of Al's crash and injuries. So when you see those walls past the finish line, remember Al.

Dave
Click to expand...

You're right Dave I remember that well. After Blaine's tragedy it should have been fixed right then.

Jeff Gordon recently had a similar wreck in nascar with an opening in the backstretch wall I think at Las Vegas. The Nascar guys were beside themselves. Pro racers just don't put up with that kind of negligence anymore.
 
Thanks Al and Helen for the opportunity and good words you gave me in the past.
My condolences to all of Al's Family.
May God Bless.
God Speed Al.

R.I.P. Al
 
Service information:

Tuesday, March 25, 2008 at 11:00 AM
Jeremiah's/McGregors, 501 N Highland St, Mt Dora, FL Cemetery


Everyone please keep the family in your prayers, they are having a really hard time right now as I am sure you can imagine.
 
I wrote a personal rememberance to Al over at ESPN.com's NHRA page. I hope everyone takes a moment to read it. Al really was the last of his kind.
 
Registered member said:
I am really saddened to hear this. I spoke with his son at the Divisional race in Bradenton and he said his dad was pretty much retired and starting to enjoy it. Al was in the process of moving back to a house he lived in for years - the person who bought the house from him had defaulted - and his son said Al would probably show up at a few of the Division 2 events later this year.

I didn't read all the comments in this thread, but the sheer number in the short time since we found out speaks to the feeling the fans had for Al Hofmann - he was the perfect foil for his rivalry with John Force and the two of them made a lot of match race money off of that rivalry. He had a rough exterior and he didn't pull any punches.

A classic Al Hofmann story: back when a speed of 280 was still a speed barrier not yet broken in Funny Car, a fan with a somewhat large wife, eating a hot dog, showed up at the ropes at Hofmann's pit area. The fan asked Al, "Think she'll go 280 today?" Without pausing, Al replied, "If she keeps eating like that, she will!"

I was hoping to get a chance to say HI to him some time this year - instead, I'll have to settle for "Farewell, Al, it was a pleasure to know you."
Click to expand...

Larry..and others...it has been wonderful to read all the great stories about Al and especially his wit. I never knew he had such quick comebacks and was so funny, and that just makes me appreciate his memory even more. Larry, this story is a classic, especially if it is something that REALLY happened. If I had something in my mouth when I read it, I would have spewed it, but instead I just howled in laughter. I'm 2 days behind or more in finding out about his passing and hope his family is finding ways to handle this sudden loss. Godspeed Al and again, RIP.

Kurt
 
Registered member said:
Service information:

Tuesday, March 25, 2008 at 11:00 AM
Jeremiah's/McGregors, 501 N Highland St, Mt Dora, FL Cemetery


Everyone please keep the family in your prayers, they are having a really hard time right now as I am sure you can imagine.
Click to expand...

To all those fans and friends reading this, we, as a family have requested that NO flowers be sent and that in lieu of this, that donations should be made in memory of Al Hofmann to the Drag Racing Association of Women (DRAW). This group helps injured racers and their families and Al and I received great back up and assistance after the Gainesville crash.

Jeremiah's is not a Cemetery, it is the location for the Memorial Service.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for all the wonderful comments and sentiments and stories. I had to explain a lot of the stories to Mariah, Al's youngest daughter, age 12, and she has copied all of them for her scrap books.
 
Al was one tough SOB on the track .. one of, if the THE toughest competitor I ever faced. No one had better car control or more talent. No one had a more fierce desire to get the win light.

There was another side of Al that not everyone saw. Never has there been a kinder more gentle soul in drag racing. I feel fortunate that I was able to know both sides of Al ... and his memory and friendship will be cherished by me forever.
 
Helen:

It's really a pleasant surprise to find your post on this board. I, as I'm sure everyone else, wish it were under different circumstances. I hope you're well and life is good. The last time I saw you, I believe, was while you were running the car with Cristen way back when and I interviewed you on ESPN.

No tribute to Al would be complete without mentioning just how important you were to the successes he enjoyed as a racer. To say you worked your fingers to the bone on your race cars would be a severe understatement. How many times I would come by your pit area between rounds and there you were in the heat and humidity of dead summer, dismantling this or assembling that, covered with sweat and grime, yet pleasant to me or any other visitor who interrupted your thrash. You earned a lot of respect out there from everyone and it was very well deserved.

I know you and Al traveled different paths eventually but during the years you were together, you two were everything that was cool about the sport and I'll have many fond memories of those times for years to come.

God bless and my prayers for peace and comfort go out to you and the entire Hofmann family.
 
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