*Turn 2 Blog is a regular feature on InsideDirtRacing.com. Here, site operators Michael Moats and Richard Allen take turns offering their thoughts on the dirt racing topics of the day from east Tennessee and beyond.
Richard: Wow! When we’re caught up in the moment, whatever event we may have just witnessed can seem like it will be one for the history books. But in the case of the 2015 edition of the Dirt Late Model Dream at Eldora Speedway, it will certainly be a race long remembered and talked about.
Seemingly, Scott Bloomquist had won his seventh $100,000 prize on Tony Stewart’s half-mile track. But when the Zero car crossed the scales, it proved to be too light and was disqualified. And all of this coming after Bloomquist had pulled off a late race pass for the lead.
The end result was a first time crown jewel win for Jonathan Davenport.
It doesn’t get much more dramatic than that, does it?
Michael: When I saw on Twitter that Bloomquist was light at the scales, I remembered back to some of the days when Earl Baltes would be in the middle of some call during post-race that affected the final outcome. There seems to be something all the time regarding Bloomquist at Eldora. Whether it be the window net deal last year, light at the scales this year, or years past when the body of the car was deemed illegal. There is always some sort of drama with Bloomquist at Eldora.
Richard: No matter where he is, Bloomquist seems to find a way to attract the attention of his fans and his detractors. Even before the preliminary races began, the Zero was the subject of internet postings when his crew surrounded their car with a net so as to hamper the view of any competitor(or to distract them).
Bloomquist already owns a place in history for his accomplishments on the Eldora clay. But winning a seventh Dream would have even further cemented his legacy at dirt racing’s most renowned venue. No matter what the outcome, however, that race is now over.
The question going forward will be whether or not Bloomquist can recover from the disappointment of this past weekend. Will Bloomquist accomplish great things throughout the rest of the season?
Michael: If history is any indication, Bloomquist will use this as a rallying point and really up his game. It’s happened before and I wouldn’t be surprised if he does it again. Bloomquist loves to play mind games with the competition, and even with the fans. I think that helps keep him motivated after all these years of racing.
Bloomquist dominated the World of Outlaws race at Smoky Mountain Speedway a few weeks ago. With a Lucas race coming up there next week, I can see him unleashing more pain on the competition as well at Cherokee Speedway, another track he runs well. The only thing I see preventing that from happening is if we have another roundup by the Longhorn gang.
Richard: You make an excellent point in bringing up Longhorn Chassis. It seems as if that chassis brand has hit upon something truly unique. It’s not just that drivers who pilot those cars win, it’s that they win immediately and often.
Most recently, Vic Hill switched to Longhorn and has won his first two outings in the new ride. And also locally, John Ownbey swept the weekend’s NeSmith Dirt Late Model Series races at Tri-County and 411.
And, of course, Dream winner Jonathan Davenport was in what is essentially the Longhorn house car.
As we have seen in the past, chassis brands are in and then they’re out. And regarding Longhorn, I have heard people say things such as “flavor of the month” and “they’re hot for now”. But Longhorn’s top engineer, Kevin Rumley, seems to be on top of his game.
It will be interesting to see just how long this car can stay on top.
Michael: It was just a few years ago it seemed like every driver was switching to a Rocket. Before that, it was Rayburn. And it was GRT. These things certainly do go in cycles. I guarantee you if Warrior (as an example) hit on something, the Goddards couldn’t build cars fast enough. Racing is a monkey-see, monkey-do business.
The one thing I’ll say about the Longhorns is their engineering. They have taken some engineering from NASCAR and been able to apply it to dirt late models. It took them several years to do it, but they finally did it. That type of engineering could keep them on top for a bit longer than other “flavor of the month” chassis have done. Only time will tell.
