Dirt Track Racing Driver Scott Bloomquist Dies at 60 in Plane Crash Near His Tenn. Home: ‘One of a Kind’

The racing star, who made his professional debut in the early 1980s, died on Aug. 16

Scott Bloomquist has died in a plane crash. He was 60.

The dirt racing driver was killed in one of his planes after it crashed into a barn near his home in Mooresburg, Tennessee, on the morning of Friday, Aug. 16, a family friend announced in a post on Facebook.

“Scott Bloomquist was a great friend of mine along with a lot of people in the Dirt Late Model and racing community,” Reid Millard wrote on behalf of Bloomquist’s mother Georgie.

“... At 7:15 a.m. this morning Scott was out flying his vintage airplane and had a crash on the Bloomquist family farm. The local fire department and law enforcement are still on the scene," he added.

Hawkins County Sheriff’s Office also confirmed Bloomquist’s death, CNN and The Rogersville Review reported.

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The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) tells PEOPLE that Bloomquist was flying in a single-engine Piper J-3 plane at the time of the crash.

The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the incident.

The Hawkins County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.

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Bloomquist remained a fan favorite throughout his racing career after making his professional debut in the early 1980s.

The racing icon was a three-time champion of the Lucas Oil Late Model and winner of 33 World of Outlaws Late Model races. He more recently also won the Thunder Mountain Speedway in Knox Dale, Pennsylvania, in 2020, per NBC Sports.

The racing icon was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2002.

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Tributes have poured in on social media from the racing community following the news of Bloomquist’s death.

Racing champion Tony Stewart wrote on X (formerly Twitter), “Scott Bloomquist was one of a kind, and he’s probably the smartest guy I’ve ever been around when it comes to dirt racing. What he could do behind the wheel of a racecar was matched by the ingenuity he put into building his racecars.”

“He was a force on the track and off, with a personality as big as his list of accomplishments. He made dirt racing better with a presence that will be greatly missed,” he added.

NASCAR commentator and former driver Clint Bowyer wrote, “Sad to hear of the passing of Scott Bloomquist. The stories are endless!  You simply couldn’t fit his life into just one movie, It’ll take a series! RIP.”

Brian Carter, CEO of World Racing Group, shared in a statement, “[Bloomquist] played a key role with DIRTcar Racing and the World of Outlaws, helping to rebuild the World of Outlaws Late Model Outlaws so it could grow into what it’s become today.”

“Bloomquist’s passion for the sport and innovative mind will be deeply missed," he continued.

Racing star Kenny Wallace posted “one of the greatest quotes” from Bloomquist in a tribute, writing on X, “'They got to see a classic Tennessee a– whipping’ — Scott Bloomquist.”

Bloomquist is survived by his parents, sister and his 18-year-old daughter Ariel.

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