DIRT track racing legend Scott Bloomquist has tragically died in a plane crash.
The 60-year-old reportedly died while flying his vintage plane near his Tennessee home on Friday morning.
News of Bloomquist’s death was confirmed by authorities, according to The Rogersville Review.
Fellow racing driver Reid Millard took to Facebook to expand on the tragedy.
“Scott Bloomquist was a great friend of mine along with a lot of people in the Dirt Late Model and racing community,” he wrote.
“His mother Georgette just called me and wanted me to announce that he lost his life this morning.
“At 7:15 EST this morning Scott was out flying his vintage airplane and had a crash on the Bloomquist family farm.
“The local fire department and law enforcement are still on the scene.”
Bloomquist is survived by his parents, sister, and daughter, Ariel, as per FloRacing.
News of Bloomquist’s death prompted an outpouring of tributes on X.
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One fan dubbed Friday, “One of the saddest days in dirt racing history.”
“Dude was a legend and such a cool character. RIP Scott,” said a second.
While a third commented, “Unbelievable.. my prayers go out to Ariel his daughter his family and the racing community.
“This is a huge and tragic loss. Prayers for healing.”
A member of the National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame since 2002, Bloomquist will go down as one of the sport’s all-time greats.
He made his on-track debut driving his dad’s old car in 1980 at just 16 years old.
Over the next 44 years, Bloomquist would go on to win 100 races in the Hav-A-Tampa Dirt Racing Series, along with five series titles.
He also won 94 Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series races, winning the series on three occasions.
His dominance also saw him rack up another 33 wins in the World of Outlaws Late Model Series, along with one title.
Scott Bloomquist’s racing legacy
SCOTT Bloomquist is one of the all-time greats of late model dirt track racing.
Bloomquist’s incredible 44-year career began at just 16 years old in 1980, racing a car given to him by his dad.
Over the next four decades, he would win five Hav-A-Tampa Dirt Racing Series titles, three with the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series, and another one in the World of Outlaws Late Model Series.
Across those three series’ alone, he won over 200 races.
Bloomquist also dabbled in Nascar, racing in the ARCA Menards Series, Craftsman Truck Series, and Nascar Southeast Series.
Bloomquist also dipped his toes into the world of Nascar over the year.
In 1991, he participated in three races in the ARCA Menards Series, with an average finish of 29.7.
Three years later he participated in two races in the Nascar Southeast Series, finishing in the top five on both occasions.
Fast forward to 2013, and Bloomquist made a one-off return to Nascar, this time in the Craftsman Truck Series for Kyle Busch Motorsports.
Off the track, Bloomquist was an avid aviation enthusiast.
Taught to fly by his dad, he first took to the skies alone when he was just 16.
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In an interview in 2021, Bloomquist showed off his vast plane collection, including a World War II training aircraft, a World War I biplane, a Fokker triplane, and another biplane built by his dad.
He even had a Rumpler which he said was used in the legendary movie, Lawrence Of Arabia.
Source: Motorsport - thesun.co.uk
