Scott Bloomquist’s death came just months after battling a series of personal issues including problems with wife

SCOTT Bloomquist suffered a number of devastating injuries and personal setbacks prior to his tragic death at the age of 60.

The dirt track racing legend reportedly died while flying his vintage plane near his Tennessee home on Friday morning.

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The larger-than-life personality is survived by his daughter, Ariel, his parents and a sister.

Bloomquist was previously married to Katrina Rouse but the couple recently filed for divorce, according to reports .

He had a new girlfriend Carla, who helped him overcome a number of health issues in recent years.

In 2019, the motorsports legend was hospitalized after being seriously injured in a motorcycle accident while attending the Daytona Beach Bike Week.

Bloomquist suffered right leg and hip injuries in the accident , which sidelined him from racing.

He was then diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2023, for which he underwent surgery.

According to dirtondirt.com , doctors discovered the cancerous prostate while being examined for back problems.

Bloomquist was then hit with a foot injury suffered prior to the 2023 Dirt Track World Championship at Eldora Speedway.

And he then had shoulder surgery prior to the 2024 season.

“It’s been long enough. I’ve always been mentally ready,” Bloomquist said about his time away from racing.

“It’s just been killing me not to be doing it. It’s bad.

“When you have these things happen, it’s like I feel it.

“Man, my foot, I’m just getting to the point now I can walk without much of a limp.

“I think the bones have healed up pretty good. That’s not going to be a problem.

“Yeah, I have to quit hurting myself.”

Scott Bloomquist's racing legacy

SCOTT Bloomquist is one of the all-time greats of late model dirt track racing.

Bloomquist’s incredible 44-year career began at just 16 years old in 1980, racing a car given to him by his dad.

Over the next four decades, he would win five Hav-A-Tampa Dirt Racing Series titles, three with the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series, and another one in the World of Outlaws Late Model Series.

Across those three series’ alone, he won over 200 races.

Bloomquist also dabbled in Nascar, racing in the ARCA Menards Series, Craftsman Truck Series, and Nascar Southeast Series.

Earlier this summer, Bloomquist suffered a serious allergic reaction to a horsefly bite that led to him being rushed to the hospital in an ambulance.

“That was just a really bizarre experience,” Bloomquist told FloRacing .

“Because I got some tingling and numbness down here (resulting from the injuries he suffered in his motorcycle crash), I didn’t feel anything.

“I was barefoot and I happened to notice I was leaving tracks of blood. I looked down and I was like, ‘What the hell?’

“There was a big horsefly on my leg, and he’d obviously been there for a while. I mean, there’s blood just pouring down my leg.

“He hit a main artery, and he was just down there going to town on it I guess.

“I look down and I see it, and I take the hose and I blast him off, and I just went right back to washing.

“I didn’t even worry about covering it even though it was still bleeding.”

Less than 10 minutes later, Bloomquist broke out in a rash and started getting dizzy.

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His worried girlfriend decided to call an ambulance, which potentially saved his life.

“When (the rescue squad) showed up and checked my blood pressure, it was like 50-something over 40-something,” he recalled.

“And they said they couldn’t even believe I was coherent, which I wasn’t real good coherent, but I remember them showing up.

“Then I don’t remember anything after that. They loaded me up and took me to the hospital.”

Bloomquist also suffered a number of financial issues in recent years.

“Bills keep coming in, and obviously we’re behind on bills,” he said .

Despite his recent problems, Bloomquist will go down as one of the sport’s all-time greats.

He made his on-track debut driving his dad’s old car in 1980 at just 16 years old.

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Over the next 44 years, Bloomquist would go on to win 100 races in the Hav-A-Tampa Dirt Racing Series, along with five series titles.

He also won 94 Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series races, winning the series on three occasions.

His dominance also saw him rack up another 33 wins in the World of Outlaws Late Model Series, along with one title.

Bloomquist also dipped his toes into the world of Nascar over the year.

In 1991, he participated in three races in the ARCA Menards Series, with an average finish of 29.7.

Three years later he participated in two races in the Nascar Southeast Series, finishing in the top five on both occasions.