Seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson took to X (formerly Twitter) to pay his respect after the untimely death of legendary Dirt Late Model racer Scott Bloomquist, on Friday morning. Bloomquist, who was 60, succumbed to a plane crash in Hawkins County, Tennessee.Dirt tracks, which used to be Bloomquist's area of expertise, were also where Jimmie Johnson's racing spree started at the tender age of 5. Johnson won a 60cc class local motorcycle championship when he was eight.In 1993, supercross champion Rick Johnson introduced an 18-year-old Jimmie to Herb Fishel, the executive director of General Motors Racing. After driving buggies and trucks for a few years, Jimmie Johnson landed his first NASCAR ride with the Herzog family in 1998, the same year he made his pavement debut driving an American Speed Association (ASA) car.Bloomquist's demise deeply saddened the former Hendrick Motorsports icon. He shared a post by renowned FOX Sports journalist Bob Pockrass about Bloomquist's death and wrote:"Scott was one of a kind. He earned the respect of racers nationwide, including mine. He will be missed."According to The Bleacher Report, Scott Bloomquist delivered 33 wins in the World of Outlaws Late Model Series and 94 in the Lucas Oil Late Model Series. He also won the 2004 World of Outlaws championship and bagged the Lucas Oil championship on 3 occasions (2009, 2010, 2016). Bloomquist was also a 4-time winner in the World 100 and a 4-time winner in the Blue-Gray 100.Jimmie Johnson stays hopeful amid Richmond woesNASCAR resumed racing after a two-week break due to the Paris Olympics. The 23rd race of the season was held at Richmond Raceway, a 0.75-mile racetrack in Richmond, Virginia. It was also the first point-paying race that used two different types of tires; the 'prime' and the 'option' tires.However, it wasn't the day Legacy Motor Club, a Cup Series race team that Johnson owns, was looking forward to. John Hunter Nemechek, who drives the No. 42 Toyota Camry for LMC, finished 31st in a 37-car field, while his teammate, Erik Jones, parked his #43 machine in P29.Nevertheless, Jimmie Johnson hopes for a breakthrough in the next race at Michigan International Speedway. Reflecting on the same, he posted:"Richmond has always been a track that exposes weaknesses. That held true for us this weekend, so be it. We are on the grind and excited for Michigan."John Hunter Nemechek won a NASCAR Xfinity Series race last year at Michigan. On the other hand, among the 11 starts that Erik Jones has made at the D-shaped racetrack, his top-3 performances include a P3 finish in 2017, a P8 finish in 2022, and a P10 finish in 2023.As of today, Jones sits 27th in the Cup Series standings with 337 points, whereas Nemechek is 32nd with 313 points to his name. Tune in to NBC Sports on August 18th (2:30 PM ET onwards) to watch the 200-lap event. Live radio updates will be available on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.