Bloomquist deserves Hall of Fame recognition

Scott Bloomquist is widely considered the greatest dirt late model driver in history. The winner of over 600 feature races, he was inducted into the National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame in 2002. It's time for a couple of other prestigious Hall of Fames to induct the dirt racing legend. During a vacation to Florida last week, the first attraction we went to was the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America. It's a terrific facility which features so many forms of motorsports including land speed machines, powerboats, drag racing cars, NASCAR, IndyCar, sports cars and even go karts. Dirt track racing is represented with sprint cars and midgets, but the one omission is the popular dirt late model class. While some will debate whether Bloomquist or his rival Billy Moyer was the greatest late model racer, there's no doubt which one had a bigger impact on the sport. Bloomquist, who died in 2024 in an airplane crash at his Hawkins County farm, should also be in the National Motorsports Press Association Hall of Fame. While the NMPA Hall of Fame was pretty much an honor for NASCAR figures over its first four decades, it has expanded to recognize other forms of racing in recent years with inductees like John Force and Lyn St. James. Bloomquist should be eligible for the next class in 2027 according to what's listed on the NMPA website. Dirt late model racing is one of the most popular forms of racing in the United States and deserves to be recognized. Bloomquist is certainly a racing legend, who won the prestigious Dirt Late Model Dream eight times and the World 100 four times. He was an eight-time national champion, and his 94 Lucas Oil Series Late Model victories rank first all-time. Locally, he was a legend, winning numerous races at Kingsport Speedway when it had a dirt surface, and at Volunteer Speedway. He also won a race at Bristol Motor Speedway in 2001. The time has come to recognize the impact of dirt late model racing and Bloomquist specifically for his influence on American motorsports. DRAG RACING NEWS Construction is underway on the track surface at Bristol Dragway before the start of the 2026 season. The track is being torn up with a new surface put down. The project should be done in plenty of time for the DER Bracket Series season opener on April 24-26 and well before the NHRA SuperGrip Thunder Valley Nationals in June. The DER Bracket Series held its awards luncheon on Saturday, Jan. 10. Jesse Edens from Elizabethton won the Super Pro championship, while Tim Griffith was the Pro champion. Other champions included: Ryan Vestal (Sportsman), Steve Vestal (Trophy), Mike Smith (Motorcycle), Troy Barton (Junior Street), Nolan Griffith (Jr. Dragster, Division 1), Landon Bailey (Jr. Dragster, Division 2) and Brendan Nuttall (Jr. Dragster, Division 3). Hunter Sanders won the Junior Dragster championship at Cherokee Race Park in Rogersville. The 13-year-old from Newport was a consistent top finisher on the 1/8-mile drag strip.