Heart break track racing In a plane disaster close to his Mooresburg residence Scott Bloomquist perished.
Iconic race car driver Scott Bloomquist was killed Friday morning in a small aircraft crash near his home in the Mooresburg community in far western Hawkins County.
Sheriff Ronnie Lawson told the Review that Bloomquist, who owned a small private airstrip on his Mooresburg property, crashed into a barn near the airstrip.
Bloomquist, 60, was one of the most successful dirt track stock car racers of all time. He was the lone occupant of the plane.
At 7:50 a.m. Friday, multiple fire and rescue agencies were dispatched to a report of fire and black smoke at Bloomquist’s home at 209 Brooks Road, Mooresburg
Bloomquist was flying a small, two-seat 1938 Piper J3C-65 Cub aircraft. He was pronounced deceased at the scene.
According to Federal Aviation Administration records, Bloomquist was not a licensed pilot and the plane he was flying hadn’t been registered since 2012.
Iconic racing career
Bloomquist’s first race was at Corona Raceway in Corona, California, in 1980. He won several races and the track championship in 1982.
In 1983, he moved to Mooresburg to work on his father’s farm and began competing in larger purse races within 100 miles of home. In the 1980s, he became a local star at Kingsport Speedway, and in 1988 surprised the racing world by winning the prestigious Eldora Speedway’s World 100. He won the race again in 1990.
Among his honors are:
• 2004 World of Outlaws Late Model Series champion;
In 1983, he moved to Mooresburg to work on his father’s farm and began competing in larger purse races within 100 miles of home. In the 1980s, he became a local star at Kingsport Speedway, and in 1988 surprised the racing world by winning the prestigious Eldora Speedway’s World 100. He won the race again in 1990.
Among his honors are:
2009, 2010, 2016 Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series champion;
• 1994, 1995, 1998, 2000 Hav-A-Tampa Dirt Late Model Series champion;
• 1995, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2013, 2017, 2018 Dirt Late Model Dream winner;
• 1988, 1990, 2001, 2014 World 100 winner;
• 1992, 1994, 1996, 2014 Blue-Gray 100 winner;
• 2002 National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame.
Tributes
Friday morning the Scott Bloomquist Racing Facebook Page posted:
“Nothing can prepare you for a day like today. With heavy hearts, we have to share the news that we have lost our great friend and hero today. Whether you cheered for him or booed for him, you still made noise, and Scott loved you all equally for that. A loving father, a great son, a man who loved his friends and family, and last but not least, one hell of a wheel man
Jerry Caldwell, president and manager of Bristol Motor Speedway, said Friday that Bloomquist was “arguably the greatest dirt late model racer in the sport’s history.”
In another tribute, fellow racer Tony Stewart said Bloomquist was “probably the smartest guy I’ve ever been around when it comes to dirt racing.”
“What he could do behind the wheel of a racecar was matched by the ingenuity he put into building his racecars,” Stewart wrote on social media. “He was a force on the track and off, with a personality as big as his list of accomplishments.”
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