Scott Bloomquist began racing when he was just 16 years old. His first race was at the Corona Speedway, where he later went on to win the track championship. He won a plethora of races, the most famous among which was the World 100 at Eldora Speedway. World 100 is considered the most prestigious dirt late model race by many in the US.
To pay homage to this brilliant dirt racer on his death in August, Tony Stewart mentioned, “(he) was probably the smartest guy I’ve ever been around when it comes to dirt racing.” Bloomquist had such a hardcore reputation for himself that he was better known as ‘Hotrod’ through the latter part of his 40-year racing career.
Bloomquist did try his hand at stock car racing, but he was a dirt racer at heart and continued to be that for the rest of his life. He eventually found solid ground in super-late models. The driver impacted Eldora so much that fans insisted NASCAR have him in the race when it first introduced the track to the Truck Series schedule in 2013. Although this was the only time Bloomquist made a start in NASCAR’s top three series.
In honor of his exceptional career and his dedication to racing, Tony Stewart and Ariel Bloomquist drove a lap in Scott Bloomquist’s cars, ahead of the 54th World 100 in Ohia this year. The drivers that followed were in a 4-wide formation, for the final time this weekend.
The untimely demise of the legendary race driver was due to a private plane crashing into his family barn in Tennessee, on the 16th of August this year. The Sheriff reported that the FAA confirmed it to be a Single Piper J3. While Bloomquist died flying a plane, Tony Stewart gave his salute to the driver on his winningest race track. As Stewart owns the Eldora Speedway, it was a kind and thoughtful gesture on his end to dedicate the race to Scott Bloomquist.
Bloomquist’s World 100 record is on another level. He first won the race in 1988, followed by a win in 1990. However, the best example of his prowess is his 2014 race. His 2014 World 100 race is known for the impeccable stat lines that he maintained. Bloomquist managed to go from 7th to 1st in the heat race and 5th to 1st in the subsequent future event. Not only that, he went back and forth throughout the race due to rules infractions and finally ended up winning the race with a 7-second margin.
He was one of the most dominant dirt racers of that era with over 600 race wins and 9 championships in total. But the iconic driver did not just make a name for himself, he also helped groom budding talent who carry his legacy to date. Tyler Reddick is one such driver who had the honor of being trained by one of the best.