The legendary dirt racer was arrested for possession; He served time in jail where he ate pizza
In 1993, Bloomquist had a bit of a run-in with the law. But, it was the rumors that really ran.
Those charges and subsequent rumors created a racing icon. Scott Bloomquist is arguably the most well-known dirt racer in the world.
‘Black Sunshine’, nothing about it makes sense. The drug charges and a rock-n-roll aesthetic only added to an ore of mystery around the No. 0 machine.
For years, Bloomquist has left most of the story to your mind, letting it wander as you create your own story. This week, he sat down with NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt Jr and cleared up some things…
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Scott Bloomquist reflects on drug charges
“My life turned upside down for awhile and a lot of bizarre events happened,” Scott Bloomquist stated via the Dale Jr Download.
“I got charged with possession for something they found with some residue. I was actually charged with ‘sale of’ which I didn’t do.”
Scott Bloomquist Racing is fitted with a runway. His father restores World War airplanes and a fleet of them are stored in a hangar on the property.
“Ever since we moved to Tennessee and my dad built a runway, people assume things that aren’t true. Really, if they can’t beat you, they wanna at least make you look bad.”
Local television and radio discussed Bloomquist’s charges with the law, mostly incorrectly in his eyes. Bloomquist won $40,000 in a single month from racing but National Speed Sport News reported he took in $40,000 from cocaine sales.
“I turned all of it off, I didn’t read any of the papers anymore. I stayed at home and I went fishing.”
“You’ll all know the truth one day. You’re all wrong. I won the only case of entrapment, ever in the state of Tennessee.”
“It was an eye-opener. You got people that wont ever speak to you again and they just turn every time they see you. And you thought they were friends. So, you learn a lot about people.”
“I just knew it wasn’t real. I wasn’t even the person that was part of the transactions or any of that. But, they wanted me so bad that they turned it all around. That’s why they lost and it didn’t pan out for them.”
“It still put me through a major education about life and about people.”
“It made me larger than life. My lawyer at the time said, ‘It may seem bad right now. In so many years from now, they’ll just remember the name. They won’t even remember why they know the name but they’ll never forget the name.’ “
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What happened?
“They found a straw on the property. I don’t know what it was doing there. But, it had some residue.”
“They charged me with paraphernalia and possession, from a straw. The judge gave me maximum.”
“But, all I had to do was check in at night and check out in the morning for six weeks. I never put an orange suit on.”
“I got out for work release. That really pissed the judge off. But, the sheriff said, ‘This is my jail. You run your courtroom, I’ll run my jail.’ “
“He was a race fan. I got to get out and race. Never stopped racing and I kept winning. Every weekend, I’d get out and I’d win both events. The judge was pissed off, beyond belief. He tried to get the sheriff to not let me out anymore but he continued to let me out.”
“It was just bizarre. I’d check in at 9:00, it was hilarious, next to me was just beds, not a jail. All the sudden, I’d hear, ‘Bloomquist, come to the front!’ So, I walk in the front and there’s three pizzas sitting there. I’d sit, eat pizza and BS with them. Then, I’d go back and go to bed.”
“I actually got the most rest in my life. I got out at 7:00 in the morning and had to be back by 9:00 at night.”
“The whole thing really, it was a good experience for me. I met some interesting people.”
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2003: Arrested again
The charge from 1993 wasn’t the only drug charge. 10 years later, a very similar situation occurred.
“I was at a guys place and he had a loaned Camaro. We were drinking and he was like, ‘Take it for a drive.’ “
“We’re in Iowa, in the middle of nowhere. So yeah, I’m going to take it for a run. Its got slicks on it. I’m going to go out and get it on.”
“I pulled out on the highway, it had a fuel shutoff on it. I never even got to get in the gas. It died and I coasted on the shoulder.”
“They were waiting or whatever. It wasn’t 10 seconds, a cop pulls up behind me.”
“At least I didn’t get in trouble for drag racing or doing something else. He searched the car.”
“Again, this is not a deal that I did any [jail] time. It’s not even on my record because it wasn’t mine.”
“It came out in the paper. But, it disappeared so fast that nobody could find it and everybody’s dying to find it. I guess they pulled it, I don’t know what the heck.”
“That was kind of bizarre. Even the police there, I went back up there for a couple of days and had to check in at this time and got out at this time. I went fishing for a couple days and came back home.”
“Sometimes, you’re just in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
“I’ve always had too many responsibilities to do anything like that. Responsibility keeps you out of trouble. Too many people relying on me in life, too many sponsors that I didn’t want to upset.”
“Even marijuana, I can’t do nothing on that other than chill and sleep. I got too much to do.”
Bloomquist is still racing. The Tennessee team doesn’t follow any national series, instead they chase high-payout races across the country.
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