FANTASY NASCAR Racin

was an American professional stock car racer from Montoursville, Pennsylvania. He began racing at the age of 12 in go-karts, winning the coveted World Karting Association East Regional championship in 1992. From that point, Alexander moved onto the Micro-Sprint racing series at tracks in different states including Pennsylvania, Ohio, and New York, posting a total of 48 wins in the series. In 1995, he moved south to Mooresville, North Carolina and drove in the ARCA Racing Series. Named ARCA's rookie of the year in 1996, Alexander was a regular driver in that series while also driving in both the NASCAR Xfinity Series and Truck Series. He only raced twice in the truck series, and had modest success in Xfinity. Alexander signed to run for Team SABCO during the 2000 Xfinity season, posting two top-ten finishes and finishing 25th in points. After that year, he decided to return to the ARCA series in 2001. At the EasyCare 100 at Lowe's Motor Speedway on October 4, 2001, Alexander was involved in a 2-car accident during lap 63 of the race. He was fighting for the lead position with Kerry Earnhardt for most of the race. During the lap, Earnhardt had to dodge a

lapped car by hitting his brakes, which caused Alexander's #75 to catch up to Earnhardt's #2. Alexander began to inch into the lead when Earnhardt's car made contact with Alexander's, sending Alexander's car head-on into the wall and then back into Earnhardt's car, causing Earnhardt to flip over onto his roof and slide into the grass. After the wreck, Earnhardt got away unharmed, while Alexander was knocked unconscious. The ARCA race officials quickly threw out the red flag to send rescue workers onto the track to check on Alexander. Earnhardt had already gotten out of his car and wanted to go check on Alexander, a friend of his. Officials would not allow Earnhardt to see him and was taken to the infield care center. Alexander

was pronounced dead at the infield care center at 10:20 PM. He was 25 years old. Alexander's death, caused by a basilar skull fracture sustained in the impact, was the sixth in two years. Other high-profile drivers killed in this period included Dale Earnhardt (the father of Kerry Earnhardt, who was killed in February that same year), Adam Petty, Kenny Irwin Jr. and Tony Roper. As a result of Alexander's crash, NASCAR announced that the use of head and neck restraint devices would be required to keep drivers safe from these types of injuries, caused by rapid deceleration in wrecks. The use of such devices had been optional up until Alexander's death, though 41 out of 43 drivers in NASCAR's top series were already using them; only Tony

Stewart and Jimmy Spencer had not worn them yet. In response to these deaths, NASCAR eventually installed SAFER barriers on all NASCAR oval tracks. As of 2020, all tracks have to have the exterior walls covered with the barriers. After his 1995 move to North Carolina, Alexander enjoyed a close friendship with fellow Xfinity rookie driver and eventual NASCAR superstar, Jimmie Johnson, as they competed against each other on the track, while supporting each other off it. Alexander's memory has been honored by Johnson in several public and private ways. He dedicated his first Cup win to Alexander during a televised interview in Victory Lane, sent condolences in a Victory Lane interview after the death of Alexander's mother, and

supported various charity causes and events that Alexander initiated in his hometown area of Central Pennsylvania. Shortly after Alexander's death, one of Johnson's crewmen drew a flame pattern with Alexander's initials on his driver's front left bumper; the tribute was continued in the form of a decal on Johnson's Cup cars. The "501RH" has also been added to the decal after the Rick Hendrick place crashed at Martinsville in 2004 on way to the Cup race there. Ten people were killed including two pilots, Rick Hendrick's son

Fantasy NASCAR Racing

BLAISE ROBERT ALEXANDER JR. - 3/26/1979 - 10/4/2001