HOFFMAN FAMILY – USAC HALL OF FAME CLASS OF 2024
In the annals of USAC racing, nobody has accrued as much success as the Hoffman family. Since USAC’s formation in 1956, the Ohio-based outfit has won 146 feature events across the board in sprint car, midget and Silver Crown competition.
August “Gus” Hoffman founded the team in 1929 after discovering a car in a field and began contesting events in the Ohio/Kentucky area. For the next quarter-century, Hoffman’s team competed regularly in sprint car races. By 1956, Gus’ midget was a winner in USAC’s inaugural season at Ohio’s Dayton Speedway with driver Eddie Sachs.
Gus entered USAC’s Sprint ranks in 1957, and with Don Branson behind the wheel at Ohio’s New Bremen Speedway, scored the first of the team’s 135 USAC National Sprint Car wins to date. Gus’ son, Richard, joined the team as an owner in 1964, and in time, Richard’s son Rob became a mainstay on the team, making it a three-generation effort.
After a decade-plus of Indy Car racing, the Hoffman team hit its stride starting in 1989 with the first of its record 13 USAC National Sprint Car entrant titles with drivers Rich Vogler, Steve Butler, Dave Darland, Tracy Hines, Jerry Coons Jr. and Brady Bacon.
