A race car driver named Scott Bloomquist was the only casualty of an August 16th a plane crash. For those unfamiliar with dirt track racing, it may be unclear just why Bloomquist, who was 60, was such a legend. But in a sport filled withe self-proclaimed “outlaws,” Scott Bloomquist managed to change the game forever with bravery, talent, and ingenuity.

I grew up watching dirt track racing. One important aspect of the sport is that the high speed cars are in a continual skid. This requires special engineering, a ton of power, and carefully considered downforce. The best drivers don’t seek to control their cars precisely, but instead achieve a sort of zen balance with the limited traction conditions.

Scott Bloomquist was born in 1963. He entered his first race at 17 and won his first track championship in 1982. In 1983, he saw a single picture of Charles Swartz’s cutting-edge late-model dirt track car, shaped like a flat wedge. Inspired, he built his own. It was so successful, he lapped every other car twice in his first race. He would build his own cars, and drive innovation in the sport, for the rest of his life.

Bloomquist spent his 20s working on his father’s farm in Tennessee, to pay for his many wins–and his many losses. He learned, improved, and became one of the best dirt track drivers in the country. He dominated series such as Hav-A-Tampa with car number 18.

In the 1990s, Bloomquist was arrested and charged with possessing cocaine. He left the track for a time. He has said he read extensively about the human body and mind, searching for ways to improve his racing and himself. He returned with a self-funded team and without a single sponsor listed on his car. He also dropped the number “18” in favor of the number “0” which he painted on his car as a large yin yang symbol. In later seasons he changed the yin yang to a skull-and-crossbones.

Scott Bloomquist would continue to win throughout his life. He took first in 33 World of Outlaws Late Model races and won three Lucas Oil Late Model championships. He even raced for Toyota in the NASCAR truck series. He took a break after a recent motorcycle accident, but returned to the track in 2024.

Bloomquist also used number “0” for the rest of his life. He eventually founded “Team Zero.” He set himself apart from other team owners by building every Team Zero chassis with his own hands. He was inducted into the National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame in 2002, as part of the Hall’s second class ever.

Scott Bloomquist’s dad was an airplane pilot, and he followed in his father’s footsteps. He not only maintained a pilot’s license but he was a vintage airplane enthusiast. According to the Federal Aviation Administration, he was flying a single-engine Piper J-3 plane near his home in Tennessee when he crashed at 7:15 AM on August 16th. A family friend revealed he “had a crash on the Bloomquist family farm” and sources say he struck a barn.

Nascar racer Tony Stewart took to X (formerly Twitter) to mourn Bloomquist. He said the following:

“Scott Bloomquist was one of a kind, and he’s 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. He was a force on the track and off, with a personality as big as his list of accomplishments. He made dirt racing better with a presence that will be greatly missed.”

Tony Stewart