Richard: Well, Scott Bloomquist has done it again. On Saturday night at the famed Eldora Speedway the Mooresburg, Tenn. driver notched the fourth World 100 victory of his career. The coveted globe shaped trophy will be yet another award to add to a race shop filled with memorabilia commemorating major Dirt Late Model wins.
The 50-year-old driver just continues to add to his legacy in the sport and he’s showing no sign of letting up anytime soon.
But even as it stands right now, there is a question that has to be asked. Is Scott Bloomquist the greatest Dirt Late Model racer of all time?
Michael: In terms of big money wins and championships, I would say yes he is. Billy Moyer has more World 100 wins, Freddy Smith has more overall wins. But in terms of being there when the big money is on the line, Bloomquist comes through more times than not.
The funny thing is, just when you think Bloomquist is about to hit the down-turn of his career, he comes through with a season like this one, which usually includes a win in one of the Eldora races.
Is Scott Bloomquist the greatest of all time?
Richard: Golfers are typically measured by how many “majors” they win and NFL quarterbacks are rated based on their number of Super Bowls rings. Using that standard, it’s hard to deny Bloomquist’s claim on the greatest Late Model driver of all time. Aside from those you brought up(and all are certainly in the conversation to be considered), Jeff Purvis and Buck Simmons are also worthy of mention. But in my opinion, Bloomquist has to be considered at the top of the list. He has won all the big races and he has maintained a high level of performance for such a very long time.
On another note, east Tennessee is very close to the re-openings of two tracks. I-75 Motor Speedway(the old Murphy Speedway) has conducted two practice sessions and plans to contest its first race this Saturday night. Based on reports and pictures posted on social media, it appears as if a great deal of work has gone into the facility.
It will be interesting to see how many cars and fans are on hand for that first race.
Michael: If the first practice is any indication, I believe opening night for I-75 should be an overwhelming success. The fans will certainly come out despite UT playing Oklahoma at the same time. Fans really supported the place when it first opened.
Car counts will be interesting because of two factors. One, several drivers that planned on running I-75 went to 411 on Saturday and have arm bands to use from the rain out. Some may just chalk it off as lost money. Two, as we all know, Saturday nights are crowded in east Tennessee. They catch a break with Smoky Mountain and Volunteer not being open. They still have Boyd’s, Crossville and Wartburg to compete with this Saturday.
Richard: Aside from I-75, the Cleveland Speedway also looks to be re-opening soon. As with the track in Sweetwater, a great deal of work appears to have been done on this facility to bring it back to life.
Car counts at every track are going to something I plan to watch once all the tracks are up and running at the same time. I am hopeful that enough cars and drivers will come out to race so all the tracks will have adequate numbers. Considering that some tracks run Limited Late Models and others run Crate Late Models, it could possibly work out.
I also wonder if at least one track in the area might step out and try to make Friday night their regular night, or even try to run a few midweek shows as a way of luring cars and fans.
Michael: It is my understanding that Cleveland will run on Fridays with Boyd’s running on Saturdays. Boyd’s did pretty well on Fridays and I can understand them wanting to change when Cleveland was closed. But Boyd’s had their two biggest crowds this year on nights other than Saturday. One wonders if they might decide to go back to Fridays once this season is over.
With Boyd’s, Cleveland and I-75 being within an hour of each other, they will be battling for the same group of cars, especially in the non-late model classes. If one of them changes nights for 2015, it could set off a big domino effect of changes. I know fans of Cleveland are excited to see their track opening again. It will be interesting to see how well they do on Fridays.
Richard: And one last thing that has been plaguing tracks all over the region is the weather. Tazewell Speedway is about to make its third attempt to get the Buddy Rogers Memorial race in with the Chevrolet 525 Super Series. Even 411 Motor Speedway, which in the past has seemed impervious to rain, has been affected.
Aside from fans and drivers missing those shows, the tracks are also hurt. Every night they don’t race is a night they don’t sell tickets, sodas, hot dogs and popcorn. Also, every night in which there is no racing is a night in which websites that cover the sport don’t get the number of visitors they would like. Hopefully this weekend we will all catch a break and get to see some action on the track.
Michael: I feel your pain in more ways than one. At least the rain outs have not been as bad as they were last year. This weekend is looking good, at least for now.
