Scott Bloomquist
There is a debate among some as to which is the more important Dirt Late Model race held at the Eldora Speedway. Many believe the history and prestige that accompany the World 100 held at the Rossburg, Ohio track each September places it above all other events in the sport. But others claim that the $100,000 payout to the winner, only recently matched by the Dirt Track World Championship, gives the Dirt Late Model Dream a higher standing among the races held on the Tony Stewart-owned facility because of that lucrative reward.
No matter which is actually the more important, there can be little denying that Scott Bloomquist’s win in the 2017 edition of the Dream on Saturday night was not only historic but noteworthy for other reasons as well. Bloomquist is the only driver to have collected a $100,000 check from Eldora on seven different occasions, which makes his most recent triumph an historic one. But at the same time, he won the race following one of the more controversial dirt racing episodes in recent memory.
In 2015, Bloomquist appeared to have won what would have been his seventh Dream but the scales used to weigh the car after the race said otherwise and the National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame member was denied the victory. Instead, second finishing Jonathan Davenport was lifted to the highest step on the podium and then went on to record what is still considered to be the greatest season by a driver and team in dirt racing history. While Bloomquist went on himself that year to post wins that would cause envy among many drivers in any dirt track pit area, the one that got away no doubt left a feeling of frustration for the Mooresburg, Tenn. resident.
That lingering frustration manifested itself later in the form of a lawsuit after tire samples taken from Bloomquist’s car as well as four others failed lab tests following last year’s running of the Dream and those drivers were penalized. Further, Bloomquist has long maintained that the scales used by Eldora Speedway to determine that his car was too light following his apparent win in 2015 were inaccurate.
“When we got home we weighed the car,” Bloomquist said in his 2017 post-race press conference regarding the 2015 disappointment. “It’s nice to see that they’ve got a really good set of scales now so if we accomplished anything that’s what we accomplished.”
Ultimately, the lawsuit over the failed tire tests and the resulting penalties was dropped. However, the bitter taste of being labeled as someone who would illegally alter tires or have his car branded as too light after a major victory still lingers.
Scott Bloomquist
“With all the talk about the lawsuit, that’s not anything anybody wanted to be a part of,” the 53-year-old driver declared in his post-race press conference shown by DirtonDirt.com. “Nobody likes people that sue people. It was just so frustrating to go through that and know where you stood in right and wrong. It was not about money, it was to prove that people make mistakes and we are still confident that the lab made mistakes on that one.”
Bloomquist has had somewhat of a strange relationship with Eldora Speedway as some of the greatest moments of his career have taken place there. At the same time, frustrating and disappointing times such as the 2015 and 2016 controversies are tied to that track.
With those controversies over the track’s scales and failed tire tests now behind him, Scott Bloomquist must have experienced one of the most satisfying moments of his career on Saturday night when the $100,000 check from Eldora Speedway was made out with his name on it.
