Tom Hoover Passes

[Nunz]

Just saw on FB that Tom Hoover has passed. So sorry to hear this. RIP Mr. Hoover.

 

[pomona99]

RIP Showtime. Always classy and professional!

 

[mick]

grew up watching tom at cordova. part of my childhood. have always been a big fan of 'showtime'.
almost won the nationals in 1990. ace got by him in final. saw him at BIR for many, if not every year, after driving career.
RIP Mr. Hoover.

 

[aakar]

When I started to go to the Drags (1972) Mr Hoover was always there be it a match race or a Nationals, always. Missed him greatly when he retired and very sad to hear this news RIP

 

[BaldyLochs]

Great person in our sport. Strong family. Wonderful memories of Tom.

 

[jimbo]

Loved those Showtime cars. Especially the Beartown Shaker! Great paint, good man~! RIP!

 

[stitcherbob]

Always liked seeing him with his mom and dad racing on Diamond P Sports shows

 

[NitroRichFire]

Legendary Driver Tom "Showtime" Hoover Passes Away at 81

Renowned National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) professional drag racer, beloved husband, and father of four, Tom “Showtime” Hoover, passed away last evening at the age of 81 from natural causes […]

dragillustrated.com

 

[Pete]

Arguably the most personable, fan friendly racer of all time. Rest in peace Mr. Hoover, I will always cherish my memories of you and your family.

 

[Von Halen]

Wow. I still have a hat he autographed for me when I was a kid. He was always so cool and so nice to me. RIP.

 

[CrewMan]

Damn.....sad to hear this. I still have pictures (actual on film pictures ) of Showtime from Columbus and Indy from back in the 90's.
To this day I think standing by his pits during a warm up was one of the most instense nitro doses I have ever gotten...I remember ended hacking in a trash can....but it was all worth it!

RIP Tom Hoover

 

[Guy]

RIP Mr Hoover.
Always enjoyed seeing him and his parents!

 

[stitcherbob]

It was a family affair

Nitro Time Machine: Tom Hoover goes to the Funny Car final at Indy in 1990

Funny Car veteran Tom Hoover, along with his family crew, had one of their greatest days in Funny Car at the 1990 U.S. Nationals, where they reached the final round.

www.nhra.com

 

[.]

I'm sure this has been posted all over various social media sites by now but for those of us who don't use those sites...

Tom's obituary from our local newspaper:

Obituary for Thomas G. Hoover

Tom ''Showtime'' Hoover, 81, the internationally recognized drag racer and local Minneapolis business owner attended his "last" major event when he passed peacefully from life, through death, to eternal life on October 21, 2022. Hoover began and ended his story in his favored state of Minnesota...

www.startribune.com

 

[jimbo]

Loved those Showtime cars. Especially the Beartown Shaker! Great paint, good man~! RIP!

Just reviewing this string again and reread my post and can't believe I said Beartown Shaker! I know I meant Great Bear Dodge, sheese!

 

[.]

Just reviewing this string again and reread my post and can't believe I said Beartown Shaker! I know I meant Great Bear Dodge, sheese!

I think you mean White Bear Dodge?

Both Schifsky's "Beartown Shaker" and Hoover's "White Bear Dodge" funny car names were in reference to the town of "White Bear Lake" Minnesota, which is just north of St. Paul.

 

[mark]

That's a touching obituary.

I remember chatting with his Mom and Dad in Sanair.

Really friendly people, I bought a Showtime hat from them which I wore out over the years.

Spoke to Tom a couple of times at Sanair in front of his pit.

Class act all the way.

 

[mick]

there was nothing better than the 2 mn boys against each other.......and continued well into late 80's and possibly early 90's.
tom hoover lined up next to doc holiday....... wish i would have had time to drive south today for gathering in apple valley.

 

[.]

there was nothing better than the 2 mn boys against each other.......and continued well into late 80's and possibly early 90's.
tom hoover lined up next to doc holiday....... wish i would have had time to drive south today for gathering in apple valley.

It was a nice crowd today at Bogart's. Lots of good stories were told. Everyone had a good time.

Tom Hoover VS Doc Halladay at Brainerd in 1990...