By Bobby Markos
Since the early 1990s, there has been one name in the dirt late model racing world that has continuously captured headlines and progressed short-track dirt racing as a whole: Scott Bloomquist. On this week’s episode of The Dale Jr. Download, the “Dirt Trax Dominator” joins Dale Earnhardt Jr. and co-host Mike Davis in the Bojangles Studio to discuss the highs and lows of his career and what made him one of the most recognizable dirt racers in the history of motorsports. While Scott’s driving career has slowed down over the past few seasons, he continues to push the envelope in dirt late-model chassis innovation and remains one of the sport’s most polarizing figures.
After transplanting to Mooresburg, Tennessee from Southern California, Scott took the dirt scene by storm as he began dominating at Volunteer State strongholds like Kingsport, Newport, and Atomic while defeating some of the strongest wheelmen in the country. He stopped the presses when he won the 1988 running of the World 100 in his first attempt. From there he became an expected front-runner at the top events in the division, winning the 1990 and ‘91 Summernationals Championships, the '90 World 100, and countless other big paydays. When the Hav-A-Tampa Series formed and became the premiere traveling outfit for dirt late models, Scott showed the world what he was made of, winning the season championship five times over the course of a decade.
While his trajectory to the top of short-track racing seemed unstoppable, a '93 arrest disrupted his path and would shadow his career for years to come. A sequence of controversy and coincidence led Scott to reinvent himself during the '97 calendar year, and the very recognizable black and white No. 0 car was brought to life. He would return to racing in a strong fashion and pick up where he left off, winning huge paychecks and points championships while asserting his place at the top of his class. His overcrowded trophy room is home to three Lucas Oil Late Model Series championships, four World 100 globes, eight Dirt Late Model Dreams, and just about every other major dirt late model crown jewel.
But through all his victories and triumph, controversy continued to follow Scott. Over the years he’s been the subject of numerous high-profile rules infractions, suspensions, and lawsuits. The mixture of dominance and infamy has painted Scott as a man of mystery, and race fans have developed a “love him or hate him” mentality toward him. Regardless, his legend and reputation have allowed him to leave his mark on the motorsports book of history, and he is highly regarded as the greatest dirt late-model racer of all time. His innovation and powerful personality helped escalate the division to the top of the short-track racing echelon, where drivers now race for hardy sums and make livings that rival those in mainstream racing.
Tune into this week’s episode of the Dale Jr. Download to learn about the man behind the legend, one of the most compelling drivers in racing’s rich history.