Scott Bloomquist and Cody Sommer flank North-South 100 winner Chris Madden in 2019
At the beginning of the 2019 season, legendary Dirt Late Model driver Scott Bloomquist joined forces with dirt racing promoter and entrepreneur Cody Sommer in a new business partnership. The pairing brought together two of the sport’s top innovators in what looked to be an almost certain success. But according a press release recently posted on ScottBloomquistRacing.com, that partnership will end cordially when the 2021 season comes to a close.
Bloomquist has won numerous championships, scores of crown jewel races, and hundreds of features over the course of his career. Despite the announcement made known on Thursday afternoon, the National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame member plans to continue wheeling the iconic No. 0 machine for the remainder of this season and on into 2022.
The 57-year-old driver from Mooresburg, Tennessee plans to end this year on a positive note then look toward next season.
“It is important for us to give 100% and finish this year strong,” Bloomquist was quoted as saying in the release. “Our fans and partners deserve that. We have a lot of commitments that are important to both of us and we really want to make our partners and fans proud and excited for the future. I want to get back to what I am comfortable with and how I always did things before.”
While no one would question Bloomquist’s ability behind the wheel, he says that Sommer has provided him with a new sense for the business side of racing.
“I think Cody has been a great partner for me and has always had my best interest along the way,” Bloomquist declared. “He has certainly showed me a lot about business, and I plan to continue applying many of those things in the future myself. There is no doubt his dedication and work ethic for this stuff is second to none and for that I’ve got a ton of respect for him… our decision here doesn’t change that at all and I know we are going to continue being great friends moving forward and there is certainly the possibility of continuing to have a business relationship with him in the future as well.”
Scott Bloomquist in the famed No. 0 Team Bloomquist Race Car
Sommer points out that the business partnership got off to a difficult start almost immediately. The promoter of the Gateway Nationals recounted that Bloomquist was involved in a serious motorcycle accident in March of 2019 which sidelined him for a portion of the season then greatly hampered his efforts even after his return.
“When we started, we always said if we ever got to a point where our vision for the business was different… we would always part ways the right way, respectfully and on the same page,” Sommer said. “Unfortunately, Scott’s motorcycle accident was a very unexpected, big hurdle right out of the gate and a challenge we certainly have faced throughout our entire partnership together. Deciding to part ways is certainly a hard decision to make but we both feel strongly that this is what is best for both of us at this time and that it is important to finish it out strong.”
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However, there were successes including major wins by a second Team Zero car driven by Chris Madden later that year.
“In the beginning, we set high expectations and goals,” Sommer stated. “We accomplished many of those goals but we also fell short on many as well. We ended up facing a lot of challenges that we didn’t expect at all and it certainly made it difficult at times to make progress. However, I am proud of what we have been able to do together in 3 years and I have nothing but respect for Scott. I am thankful to have been able to work alongside the greatest to ever get behind the wheel and strap on the helmet and I am grateful for the many things I have experienced and learned along the way.”
An updated schedule has been posted on Bloomquist’s website with races to be run over the remainder of 2021. The release also points out that the organization will continue to field a car for Modified ace Nick Hoffman in the coming weeks.
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