Scott Bloomquist, a longtime dirt track racer, was killed in a plane crash Friday. He was 60.
The Rogersville (Tennessee) Review Bloomquist was reported to have been involved in a small plane crash near his home in Mooresburg, Tennessee. The Hawkins County Rescue Squad posted on Facebook Friday morning that he had responded to a plane crash.
After news of Bloomquist’s passing became public, many current and former drivers paid tribute to him on social media.
Rest in peace Scott Bloomquist
— Kyle Larson (@KyleLarsonRacin) August 16, 2024
Bloomquist is one of the most successful and influential dirt track Late Model drivers of all time. The Iowa native has won numerous championships, including the World of Outlaws Late Model Series title in 2004. That title came two years after he was inducted into the Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame.
“He played a key role in DIRTcar Racing and World of Outlaws, helping rebuild World of Outlaws Late Models into what it is today. His influences also contributed to the evolution of the tracks and chassis over the years.
“Bloomquist’s passion for the sport and his innovative spirit will be deeply missed by all.”
Bloomquist has won Late Model dirt races all over the country throughout his career. He has 33 Late Model victories in the World of Outlaws series and has 94 victories in nearly 500 starts over the last two decades in the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series.
In recent years, he has dealt with health issues that have limited his racing schedule. Bloomquist suffered significant lower-body injuries in a motorcycle accident in 2019 and was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2023 while also dealing with a back injury.
Earlier this year, Bloomquist had to be taken to the hospital after suffering an allergic reaction to a horse fly sting. He said he didn’t realize the fly had bitten him on the leg at first because of the lingering numbness in his legs from the motorcycle accident.
“Well, I got up and got on my knees. I got dizzy and (Bloomquist’s girlfriend) grabbed me and said, ‘I’m calling the ambulance.’ I said, ‘No, don’t call the ambulance. I don’t need the ambulance.’ It’s a good thing she didn’t listen, because when (the paramedics) came and checked my blood pressure, it was about 50 over 40 and they said they couldn’t even believe I was coherent, which I wasn’t, but I remember they came.
“I don’t remember anything after that,” he added. “They loaded me up and took me to the hospital.”
Bloomquist’s last World of Outlaws appearance came in early August, when he finished 23rd in the race at Cedar Lake Speedway.
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