Hofmann's '55 Chevy soon gained the nickname Hang ‘em High because of its bumper-scraping wheel stands, it was followed by a big-block '57 Chevy that he labeled Rat Poison.

 He then teamed with a friend who had a '67 Camaro from Baldwin Chevrolet. Said Hofmann, “We ran a Booth-Arons-built 417-cid engine and ran in the B/MP and C/Gas classes during the mid-1970s. It ran in the 9.30s and was pretty competitive.”

 After driving the series of door slammers, it appeared that Hofmann was heading for a career in Pro Stock, but his desire to go even faster made him aim higher. “I decided that I wanted to go Funny Car racing,” said Hofmann, "so I sold my construction business in 1978 and bought out the entire Radici & Wise Funny Car operation.”

 With the purchase, Hofmann was ready to go with his Plueger chassis, Vega body, and 484-cid Keith Black engine. The only thing he lacked was Funny Car racing experience. Said Hofmann, “When I got home, I didn't even know how to start it. I had to have a friend of mine with an alcohol car help me do that. So I went out to California and spent three months with Sid Waterman, and it was the best thing I could have done at the time. He wanted me to be a hands-on racer, not just a driver. So he had me take the engine apart and put it together about 10 times. He felt it would help my driving if I had a better mechanical understanding of the car.