Oct 4 2001 Blaise Alexander was killed in a cars at LOWES motorspeed way. 
All ready a year
- Thread starter Lap3Forever
- Start date
I was at Charlotte that night.
You knew the moment he hit the wall, it was bad.
Rest in Peace, Blaise.
You knew the moment he hit the wall, it was bad.
Rest in Peace, Blaise.
H
HardScrabble
Guest
You may or may not have know this. Blaise and Jimmie Johnson were very close friends. Jimmie carries Blaise's name on every car he drives in a Winston Cup race.
You might like this article:
On October 4th, 2001, stock car racing lost one of its future stars. Blaise Alexander, a happy-go-lucky 25-year-old from Montoursville, PA., tragically lost his life doing what he loved most, racing.
Blaise began his racing career while driving go-karts at the age of 12 in the World Karting Association (WKA.) He won the 1992 East Regional Series WKA championship and then moved on to race in Micro-Sprint divisions across Ohio, New York, and his home state of Pennsylvania . He clinched 48 feature wins while on his three-state racing trek. In 1995 Blaise had his eyes on bigger and better things and relocated to the hotbed of racing, North Carolina, and quickly became noticed.
In 1996, he won the ARCA RE/MAX Series Rookie of the Year award and finished fifth in points that same year. He went on to score four pole awards and three ARCA event wins throughout his career. His first win came at Toledo Speedway, followed by a victory at Pocono in '98 and Michigan in July of 2001. During his ARCA career, he tallied up 22 top-five finishes and 38 top-10s.
In '97, he dabbled into the NASCAR circuit's Craftsman Truck Series for only two events. At Watkins Glen he posted a top-10 finish. On the Busch side of things, he ran a total of 31 starts driving for Felix Sabates in 2000 and grabbed his best career finish of seventh at the Atlanta Motor Speedway. In 2001, Blaise made a total of six Busch Series events and scored a season's best 11th at Michigan.
One thing is for sure, Blaise was one of auto racing's rising stars. Another thing that is for sure, losing him was a hard thing to swallow for those who cheered for him, knew him, and loved him. Winston Cup driver Jimmie Johnson was one of Blaise's closest friends and treasures his fond memories of him.
"I met Blaise when I moved to the North Carolina area to pursue stock car racing. It took a little while to get to know him but once you spent a little time with him, he was such a neat person, a care free spirit and liked by everyone. I formed a friendship with him immediately, even with his family and his brothers. There was just some comfort with him I think a lot of people saw and enjoyed being around him. He was a lot of fun, I miss him dearly."
Along with Blaise's carefree spirit, there was also somewhat of a competitive edge to his and Jimmie's friendship. "I just remember, as good of friends as we were how bad he wanted to beat me on the racetrack. I've been very lucky through my career and he would always remind me of how lucky I was in certain situations. Whenever there was a wreck, I always seemed to somehow get him caught up in it. He'd be upset at me for causing a wreck and him getting crashed in it. Or him beating me, he wouldn't let me live it down for a week."
Johnson adds, that including the on-track rivalry between the two, Blaise inspired him to be more laid back about things. "He was always good for some pranks that's for sure. Maybe he's responsible for some of carefree attitude that I have these days about racing. He took it very seriously, applied himself and did everything that he could but at the same he found a way to let his hair down and have some balance away from the racetrack."
As for Johnson's solid 2002 season, one might wonder what his late friend would have to say about his current success. "I can hear his voice at different times. Just phrases he would say and bring up, and I think about him all the time, especially with how good we're running. He would be loving every minute of it."
As a constant tribute to his late friend, Jimmie remembers Blaise every weekend when he straps into the car. "I've got him on the front of every single one of my racecars. There's a little thing that one of my friends at the shop writes in his name and puts some flames on it on the bumper on front of the car. So that every time I ride around the racetrack, he beats me across the across the start/finish line."
Whether it was during his dirt days driving sprints, on the road course in Watkins Glen, or on the two-mile tracks like Michigan and Pocono, Blaise proved time and time again, he was a talented young racer. Along the way, he made friends, impressed his fans and touched lives with his infectious smile. Although his life was cut way too short, Blaise Alexander's memory lives on through those who loved him.
You might like this article:
On October 4th, 2001, stock car racing lost one of its future stars. Blaise Alexander, a happy-go-lucky 25-year-old from Montoursville, PA., tragically lost his life doing what he loved most, racing.
Blaise began his racing career while driving go-karts at the age of 12 in the World Karting Association (WKA.) He won the 1992 East Regional Series WKA championship and then moved on to race in Micro-Sprint divisions across Ohio, New York, and his home state of Pennsylvania . He clinched 48 feature wins while on his three-state racing trek. In 1995 Blaise had his eyes on bigger and better things and relocated to the hotbed of racing, North Carolina, and quickly became noticed.
In 1996, he won the ARCA RE/MAX Series Rookie of the Year award and finished fifth in points that same year. He went on to score four pole awards and three ARCA event wins throughout his career. His first win came at Toledo Speedway, followed by a victory at Pocono in '98 and Michigan in July of 2001. During his ARCA career, he tallied up 22 top-five finishes and 38 top-10s.
In '97, he dabbled into the NASCAR circuit's Craftsman Truck Series for only two events. At Watkins Glen he posted a top-10 finish. On the Busch side of things, he ran a total of 31 starts driving for Felix Sabates in 2000 and grabbed his best career finish of seventh at the Atlanta Motor Speedway. In 2001, Blaise made a total of six Busch Series events and scored a season's best 11th at Michigan.
One thing is for sure, Blaise was one of auto racing's rising stars. Another thing that is for sure, losing him was a hard thing to swallow for those who cheered for him, knew him, and loved him. Winston Cup driver Jimmie Johnson was one of Blaise's closest friends and treasures his fond memories of him.
"I met Blaise when I moved to the North Carolina area to pursue stock car racing. It took a little while to get to know him but once you spent a little time with him, he was such a neat person, a care free spirit and liked by everyone. I formed a friendship with him immediately, even with his family and his brothers. There was just some comfort with him I think a lot of people saw and enjoyed being around him. He was a lot of fun, I miss him dearly."
Along with Blaise's carefree spirit, there was also somewhat of a competitive edge to his and Jimmie's friendship. "I just remember, as good of friends as we were how bad he wanted to beat me on the racetrack. I've been very lucky through my career and he would always remind me of how lucky I was in certain situations. Whenever there was a wreck, I always seemed to somehow get him caught up in it. He'd be upset at me for causing a wreck and him getting crashed in it. Or him beating me, he wouldn't let me live it down for a week."
Johnson adds, that including the on-track rivalry between the two, Blaise inspired him to be more laid back about things. "He was always good for some pranks that's for sure. Maybe he's responsible for some of carefree attitude that I have these days about racing. He took it very seriously, applied himself and did everything that he could but at the same he found a way to let his hair down and have some balance away from the racetrack."
As for Johnson's solid 2002 season, one might wonder what his late friend would have to say about his current success. "I can hear his voice at different times. Just phrases he would say and bring up, and I think about him all the time, especially with how good we're running. He would be loving every minute of it."
As a constant tribute to his late friend, Jimmie remembers Blaise every weekend when he straps into the car. "I've got him on the front of every single one of my racecars. There's a little thing that one of my friends at the shop writes in his name and puts some flames on it on the bumper on front of the car. So that every time I ride around the racetrack, he beats me across the across the start/finish line."
Whether it was during his dirt days driving sprints, on the road course in Watkins Glen, or on the two-mile tracks like Michigan and Pocono, Blaise proved time and time again, he was a talented young racer. Along the way, he made friends, impressed his fans and touched lives with his infectious smile. Although his life was cut way too short, Blaise Alexander's memory lives on through those who loved him.
i wanted his Bush car back a few years ago, just because of Alexander and it was a chevy.
i have been wording since his bush days if i was kin to him. since i am a Alexander
i have been wording since his bush days if i was kin to him. since i am a Alexander