CONCORD, N.C. — Nick Hoffman is enjoying the offseason by racing with family and close friends while preparing for a new year of racing with the World of Outlaws Late Models.
The Mooresville, N.C., resident built a UMP Modified for his father, Darrell Hoffman, to race at The Dome at America’s Center – which will also be Kenny Wallace’s car at Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals in February.
“It was something on dad’s side that he’s talked about for a couple of years,” Nick said. “I never knew if he was actually serious about it, but he was pretty serious about borrowing a car. I was like ‘Listen, if we’re gonna do it, we’re gonna do it right,” so people probably thought I was crazy for bringing a brand-new car there. At the end of the day, it ended up working out great to build this car, get it ready, and give him the best.”
Darrell agreed with Nick’s sentiments about the weekend, saying it was the best car he’d ever had in his racing career at the event.
“I thought it’d be really cool to run (at the Dome) and try it one time,” Darrell said. “So, we had a birthday party at the Blue Deuce, and Cody Sommer was there so Cody wrote up a contract and made Nick sign it so he’d have a car ready for me by Nov. 15 so I could go to Millbridge (Speedway) to test. So, we got a few crown cokes and got him to sign it.
“He missed the date by a few days, but he worked his butt off and didn’t just build a normal car. I guarantee it was the best one in the Dome, but the car was way better than the driver.”
The finished product featured a retro design to Darrell’s original modified from the 1990s that revealed memories of his past in the area.
While he has no intentions of racing in the foreseeable future, Darrell said he’s proud and appreciative of his children, Nick and Ashly, for using their resources to help him prepare for the event.
“It brought back a lot of memories for me and a lot of people in St. Louis that remembered,” Darrell said. “I didn’t even know it was happening, that was pretty much all (Nick’s) idea. Then, Jeremy (Burnett) and Ashly did the wrap on it. How many guys can say they had their son build them a race car, then go to your daughter’s racetrack to test? It’s pretty amazing.”
In February, Hoffman will give the same chassis to Kenny Wallace, matching the same deal from the 2024 edition of the Volusia Speedway Park marquee event.
“It’ll be the same as last year to run Kenny Wallace in Florida,” Nick said. “We’ll run the whole week again in that car. It worked out pretty good to line that deal back up again and something that was in my court to have Wallace trying to do it, but it was a matter of having a car ready for him and it all went smooth. So, the car dad ran will be reskinned for Wallace to go to Florida and race.”
Wallace scored eight feature wins in his No. 36 machine through 2024, ending the year with a top-10 at the Dome.
“It was one of the most satisfying years I’ve ever had,” Wallace said. “It was hard for me to do all the traveling because most of my help is married or had kids. I raced around my local tracks, and I’ve never done that before, but we got faster by the end of the year when we reached the Dome.
“What set us up well was qualifying third overall, then I won my qualifier, so I had to come up with something for my interview, so I went to the Nellyville album and sang Air Force Ones. You’re there to have fun, and I approach the Dome as a celebration of dirt racing.”
Wallace returned to DIRTcar Nationals victory lane for the first time since 2012 in February, but an engine failure on the finale night cost him a chance at his first Big Gator trophy.
As he prepares for a second chance at the Big Gator in Hoffman’s Elite Chassis, Wallace knows he needs near perfection to leave “The World’s Fastest Half Mile” with the prized trophy.
“We were primed,” Wallace said. “We were less than 10 points out of the championship, and we broke a motor. You gotta have a little luck on your side, but you gotta be fast every night. It’s a new game and history with running nine nights.
“That’s unheard levels that we’ve never done before, so it’s gonna be one of the biggest weeks at Volusia in Modified history. To win that (Big Gator), you might afford one hiccup on one night, but that’s about it.”
That is not the last of Hoffman’s offseason activities, as he’ll pilot a NOS Energy Drink Midget at the Tulsa Expo Center for the Chili Bowl Nationals in January.
“That deal is a totally different style of racing,” Nick said. “It’s fun for us to have a change of pace and be on the other side of the racing world. You see guys like Brian Shirley, Tim McCreadie, and Ricky Thornton Jr. having good runs. The pressure is on you to perform and do well, but I don’t think anybody is expecting us to lock in or dominate the feature.
“It’s a good time to learn and get better. I feel it helps you as a race car driver, like Logan Seavey coming to our side and racing, and I was able to talk to him and say, ‘Now you realize why we struggle when we get into a Midget.’ It can be a struggle, but it’s a different style of racing that’s fun to learn.”
Hoffman has made substantial gains through his two full years in World of Outlaws competition. He finished fifth in points to claim the rookie-of-the-year honors in 2023, then contended for the championship with Brandon Sheppard and Bobby Pierce in his sophomore season, ultimately finishing third in points.