On Friday, the NASCAR and American motorsport communities were rocked by tragic news. Dirt racing legend Scott Bloomquist died in a plane crash in his hometown, Mooresburg. Naturally, there was an outpouring of tributes from the racing community and all who knew and respected him. The likes of Kyle Larson, Clint Bowyer, and Tony Stewart were all stunned by the news and paid their tributes. Now, joining them is 23XI Racing star Tyler Reddick, who was equally shaken by the news.

As it happens, the two shared a deeper and more personal connection, that of mentor and protege. So while Reddick was devastated to learn of his mentor’s death, he was touched by all the tributes to the 60-year-old.

Ahead of the NASCAR Cup race at Michigan, he opened up about Scott Bloomquist and the influence he had on his life and career. As a racer, Bloomquist was hugely successful and a multiple champion. He boasted of wins in the World of Outlaws, Lucas Oil, Hav-A-Tampa, Dirt Late Model Dream, World 100, and the Blue-Gray 100. In addition to that, the late racer. also wound up in the 2002 National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame.

For this weekend’s race, Tyler Reddick starts on the front row, alongside polesitter and boss, Denny Hamlin. However, that was the furthest thing from his mind as he digested the tragic news. Safe to say, the #45 driver will definitely want to win the race and dedicate it to his late mentor.

As Tyler Reddick looked deeply affected by Bloomquist’s sudden demise, he told Bob Pockrass, “Very moving to see all the messages, stories shared. Everyone in the racing industry chimes in and have something to say. I myself don’t know what to say, and just thinking about it just the last 25-26 hours now. Still trying to process it. I was up late thinking about it, about him, thinking about our relationship, last night. Just sitting there and taking in our experiences together. I’m still trying to process the whole thing, but it was really nice. Helped getting me through the day, to see all the messages shared on social.

Reddick noted the times Reddick and Bloomquist had been together, “I learned so much about race cars from him. Taught me a lot about being a racer, taught me a lot of things outside racing and just in life.”

Further making it evident how the late racer had an everlasting impact on his life, he shared what he loved about him, saying, “Probably one of the favorite things about him is just, he’s not afraid of confrontation. If you do something wrong to him or if there’s a dispute or something going on. It gets easy in this day and age for people to kind of back away from it. He’s never that way, he’s always just gonna, something’s going on, he’s going to address it. He’s not going to be shy about it, and so, there’s so much more there, but yesterday was a really tough day for motorsports.”

What is the connection between the 23XI star and Scott Bloomquist?

Of course, given that Reddick has waxed lyrical about Bloomquist, one has to wonder how they knew each other. Apparently, when Tyler Reddick first began racing in dirt late models at the age of 15, his family needed a workshop. In stepped Bloomquist, who offered his shop, and Reddick’s family used to assemble his cars there.

During that time, the Dirt Late Model legend became Reddick’s mentor. Of course, Reddick mentioned his passion, partly because he was often at the receiving end of it. When Reddick won at East Bay in Dirt Racing in February 2011, it was evident how excited he was to be driving his new Bloomquist Race Car.

Racing to the victory lane in just his second race in the chassis built by Scott Bloomquist, he became the youngest Super Late Model winner in Speedweeks history. It was a great weekend for Scott Bloomquist and Tyler Reddick! Where it was Reddick’s first victory in 2 years, Bloomquist won the Winternationals opener the same week.

Probably missing and fondly remembering those best days, Reddick also revealed one of Bloomquist’s teachings was that the ‘tightest race car that still turns wins the race every time.’ On an asphalt track, drivers usually prefer a loose race car, but Reddick and Bloomquist bucked the trend. In all, Tyler Reddick is never going to forget how much of an impact Scott Bloomquist had on his career.