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Bloomquist dies in plane crash on Tennessee farm
By Kevin Kovac
DirtonDirt.com senior writer
Scott Bloomquist (Zackary Washington/Simple Moments Photography)
Hall of Famer Scott Bloomquist of Mooresburg, Tenn., a larger than life figure considered one of the greatest drivers in Dirt Late Model racing history, died Friday morning in an accident while flying a vintage airplane on his family farm. He was 60.
The news of Bloomquist’s death in a small aircraft crash was published by the Rogersville (Tenn.) Review and also confirmed by Missouri racer and close Bloomquist friend Reid Millard, a funeral director who announced the tragedy in a Facebook post after receiving a call from Bloomquist’s mother Georgie.
According to Millard’s post, the crash occurred around 7:15 a.m. EST into a barn near Bloomquist’s home and race shop. The local fire department and law enforcement were still on the scene several hours later and an FAA investigation into the accident is ongoing.
Bloomquist’s passing brought immediate reaction from all corners of the racing world, including a statement from World Racing Group CEO Brian Carter.
“Scott Bloomquist’s legendary status not only grew out of his accomplishments on the track but his innovations throughout the Dirt Late Model industry,” said Carter, whose company includes the World of Outlaws Case Late Model Series that Bloomquist helped bring back to life in 2004. “He played a key role with DIRTcar Racing and the World of Outlaws, helping to rebuild the World of Outlaws Late Models so it could grow into what it’s become today. His influences also helped the evolution of racetracks and chassis across the country.
“Bloomquist’s passion for the sport and innovative mind will be deeply missed by all.”
Rocket Chassis co-owner Mark Richards, who is linked to Bloomquist through his career as a chassis builder and team owner over the last 40 years, asserted that “the racing world lost one of the best to ever do it today.”
“Scott and I were rivals for many years but we both always had great respect for each other as competitors,” Richards wrote in a social media post. “I remember the first time I saw him race in 1983 at Kingsport (Tenn.) Speedway. I knew that day he was different. I am glad that Scott and I had many conversations in the past few years to verify the respect we both had for each other.”
A native of Fort Dodge, Iowa, and son of an airplane pilot, Bloomquist spent his formative years living in California. He launched his racing career in August 1980 at Corona (Calif.) Raceway and quickly became a winner before relocating across the country in’83 to race out of his father’s farm in eastern Tennessee.
After Bloomquist spent several years tearing up the tracks in his new home region, he loudly arrived on the national scene in September 1988 when he made his debut at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio, and promptly won the World 100. The famed half-mile oval would virtually become his personal playground over the ensuing three-plus decades as he put his indelible stamp on the facility both in victory (a record eight Dream wins and four World 100s) and defeat (his many memorable near-misses and unforgettable moments on and off the track).
But there so many other major race and series accomplishments that filled a resume which puts him alongside Billy Moyer of Batesville, Ark., in the conversation of the division’s best ever. He won the Hav-A-Tampa/UDTRA Series championship four times, the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series title three times and the World of Outlaws title crown once. His crown jewel successes included the Show-Me 100 (six), Topless 100 (five), USA Nationals (five), Dirt Track World Championship (three), Knoxville Nationals (two), North-South 100 (two) and Silver Dollar Nationals (two) and he’s the all-time winningest driver with the Hav-A-Tampa/UDTRA circuit (100) and Lucas Oil Series (94).
Bloomquist also impacted the sport on the technical side with his creation of the Team Zero Chassis alongside fellow Tennessean Bruce Nunnally. The project later included his late friend Randy Sweet, though he eschewed mass production of the cars and instead focused on selling them to select customers.
Known as “Black Sunshine,” among other nicknames, for the mysterious, tough-guy image he cultivated, Bloomquist was inducted into the National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame with its second class in 2002.
In recent years, however, Bloomquist battled a variety of injuries of physical ailments that hampered his racing efforts, most notably after a serious motorcycle crash in March 2019 that later led to hip replacement surgery and continues issues with feeling in his right leg and foot. Last winner in a WoO event on Sept. 25, 2020, at Thunder Mountain Speedway in Knox Dale, Pa., he struggled to race on a consistent basis over the past three-plus seasons due to his physical and health problems that included shoulder and back pain and a bout with prostate cancer that necessitated surgery in 2023. He was also hospitalized in mid-June due to a serious allergic reaction following what he called a “bizarre experience” with a horsefly bite.
Bloomquist and his father enjoyed flying vintage airplanes and have a collection that was showcased during FloRacing’s Road to Eldora video series in 2022.
A winner of over 600 races whose last start came driving a Terry Wolfenbarger-owned car on Aug. 3 in the USA Nationals at Cedar Lake Speedway in New Richmond, Wis., Bloomquist is survived by his daughter, Ariel, his parents and a sister.
Editor's note: Adds detail of accident; adds original Team Zero partner
