Reddick Honors His Late Mentor With Michigan Win

A young Tyler Reddick (right) stands with the late Scott Bloomquist at a World of Outlaws Late Model Series event. (Paul Arch photo)

BROOKLYN, Mich. – Monday’s win by Tyler Reddick in the rain-postponed conclusion to the FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan Int’l Speedway was as poignant as it was gritty.

After all, it was barely 72 hours earlier that Reddick’s racing hero and mentor – dirt late model legend Scott Bloomquist – had passed away at the age of 60 in a tragic plane crash near his Tennessee home.

That gave the 28-year-old from Corning, Calif., extra motivation to go out and perform at the two-mile oval, where he ultimately hoisted the trophy after defeating William Byron in a double-overtime finish.

Moments after climbing from his No. 45 McDonald’s Toyota Camry XSE on the frontstretch, Reddick immediately paid tribute to Bloomquist in his victory interview, noting how meaningful it was to reach victory lane in the wake of his mentor’s sudden death.

“I can’t help [but] sit here in victory lane and think of Scott Bloomquist,” Reddick admitted, emotion evident in his voice. “[He was] a huge mentor to me, an incredible role model, and legend of dirt racing and motorsports in general.

“The last couple days have been tough, but this really helps [ease the pain],” Reddick added. “This win should go for him, his family, and his friends. All that meant a lot to him.”

Reddick grew up racing outlaw karts, and later dirt late models, prior to transitioning over to pavement racing and marching up the ladder into the NASCAR Cup Series ranks.

In fact, the dirt late models that Reddick competed in as a teenager were Team Zero Race Cars – from Bloomquist’s highly-successful fabrication company – built out of a shop owned by the Hall of Fame driver.

Reddick went on to rack up numerous accolades in dirt late model racing, including becoming the youngest polesitter at Eldora Speedway’s famed World 100 and the youngest winner in Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series history, during the formative years of his racing career.

Tyler Reddick celebrates with a burnout after winning Monday afternoon at Michigan Int'l Speedway. (Matthew Thacker/NKP for Toyota Racing photo)

It was in large part, Reddick said, to Bloomquist’s tutelage that he was able to adapt quickly and become a better, smoother driver.

“I learned so much about race cars with him. He taught me a lot about being a racer, taught me a lot of things outside of racing and just in life,” Reddick shared Saturday prior to qualifying. “One of my favorite things about him is just he wasn’t afraid of confrontation. If you do something wrong to someone or there’s a dispute or something going on, I feel like it’s easy for people in this day and age for people to back away from it. But Scott was never that way, if something was going on he was going to address it and he wasn’t going to be shy about it.

“There’s so much more there, but yeah, [Friday] was a really tough day for motorsports.”

On Monday, Reddick looked a bit like the driver who was known as “Black Sunshine” throughout his career, not necessarily a factor for much of the race but sharp as a tack when it counted most.

With a win to soothe a bit of the grief, Reddick admitted that the ache was still inside, and that he’ll be remembering Bloomquist’s family and the larger dirt late model community in the days to come.

“It’s tough. It’s always tough when someone you care about passes away,” he noted. “But my thoughts are with him and his family.

“Hopefully, this win puts a smile on some people’s faces who loved Scott and supported him through the years.”