What happened to NASCAR driver Blaise Alexander? Exploring details about Jimmie Johnson’s close friend

Blaise Alexander Jr. was a professional stock racing driver whose untimely death had a profound impact on the racing world. Alexander Jr. raced in the Truck, Xfinity, and ARCA series before he passed away in a horrific crash.

While the NASCAR world was recovering from the death of legendary driver Dale Earnhardt, Blaise Alexander Jr. lost his life in an ARCA Menards race on October 4, 2001. The incident occurred during the ARCA EasyCare 100 at Lowe's Motor Speedway.

Alexander Jr., in the #75 Pontiac, was battling Kerry Earnhardt, son of the departed Dale Earnhardt, when the two made contact. While Kerry escaped uninjured from the incident, the #75 driver had an eerily similar crash to the one that killed Dale eight months earlier. The cause of death was revealed as a basilar skull fracture, the same injury that killed the NASCAR legend.

Jimmie Johnson met Alexander in 1995 when they both entered their rookie seasons in the Busch series. Despite battling each other on the track, their friendship grew stronger off the track. Blaise Alexander's death had a profound impact on the eventual seven-time cup champion, who considered him one of his closest friends.

Johnson has honored Alexander's memory in many ways throughout his career. He dedicated his first Cup win to his friend in an interview on Victory Lane. Johnson supports various charitable causes and events initiated by Alexander in Central Pennsylvania.

Throughout his Cup Series career, Jimmie Johnson sported a decal of Blaise Alexander's initials on his #48 car. He also reminisced about their friendship in his book, "One More Lap: Jimmie Johnson and the #48".

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How Blaise Alexander's death changed the NASCAR world forever

The NASCAR world endured a tough time in the early 2000s when an epidemic of on-track deaths over the span of 15 months clouded stock car racing. While Dale Earnhardt's demise overshadowed the death of other drivers, it was Blaise Alexander's death which forced the authorities to take immediate action.

In that period, five drivers, including Earnhardt, Alexander Jr., Adam Petty, Kenny Irwin, and Tony Roper, all died due to a basilar skull fracture. In the aftermath of losing these drivers, NASCAR implemented head and neck safety restraints and SAFER barriers in the next few years.

HANS Safety device

Alexander's father, and Howard Wheeler, the promoter of Lowe's Motor Speedway, championed the cause for changes in safety in NASCAR. After losing his son, the Montoursville native approached Wheeler in an attempt to prevent any such deaths in the future.

As a result, NASCAR introduced a mandate on the Head-and-Neck Safety (HANS) device and SAFER barriers in every track on the schedule over the course of the following years.

While most drivers are remembered for their on-track legacy, Blaise Alexander's legacy unfortunately lies in his death, which saved many other lives.