:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(933x277:935x279)/scott-bloomquist-racing-event-081724-8e9c575271d2445b87c787f01f03dc53.jpg "Dirt track racing icon killed in plane crash")
Dirt track racing icon killed in plane crash
Scott Bloomquist died in a plane crash. He was 60 years old.
The dirt racing driver died in one of his planes on Friday morning, August 16, when it crashed into a barn near his home in Mooresburg, Tennessee, a family friend said in a Facebook post.
“Scott Bloomquist was a good friend of mine, as well as many others in the Dirt Late Model and racing community,” wrote Reid Millard on behalf of Bloomquist’s mother, Georgie.
“…This morning at 7:15 a.m. Scott was flying his vintage airplane and crashed on the Bloomquist family farm. Local fire and police are still on the scene,” he added.
The Hawkins County Sheriff’s Office also confirmed Bloomquist’s death, CNN and The Rogersville Review reported.
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The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) told PEOPLE that Bloomquist was flying a single-engine Piper J-3 aircraft at the time of the crash.
The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the incident.
The Hawkins County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
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After making his professional debut in the early 1980s, Bloomquist remained a fan favorite throughout his racing career.
The racing icon was a three-time Lucas Oil Late Model champion and winner of 33 World of Outlaws Late Model races. He also won at Thunder Mountain Speedway in Knox Dale, Pennsylvania, in 2020, according to NBC Sports.
The racing icon was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2002.
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On social media, condolences poured in from the racing community upon the news of Bloomquist’s death.
Racing champion Tony Stewart wrote on X (formerly Twitter): “Scott Bloomquist was one of a kind and probably the smartest guy I’ve ever met when it comes to dirt racing. What he could do behind the wheel of a race car was surpassed by the ingenuity he put into building his race cars.”
“He was a force on and off the track, with a personality as big as his list of accomplishments. He made dirt racing better with a presence that will be greatly missed,” he added.
NASCAR commentator and former driver Clint Bowyer wrote: “Sad to hear of the passing of Scott Bloomquist. The stories are endless! You just can’t put his life into just one movie. It would take a whole series! RIP.”
Brian Carter, CEO of the World Racing Group, said in a statement: “(Bloomquist) played a key role in DIRTcar Racing and the World of Outlaws and helped rebuild the World of Outlaws Late Model Outlaws to become what it is today.”
“We will greatly miss Bloomquist’s passion for the sport and his innovative spirit,” he continued.
Racing star Kenny Wallace posted “one of Bloomquist’s greatest quotes” in a tribute to X, writing, “‘You saw a classic Tennessee brawl’ – Scott Bloomquist.”
Bloomquist leaves behind his parents, his sister and his 18-year-old daughter Ariel.
