Blaise Alexander

Who was Blaise Alexander?

Blaise Alexander was a 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. In 1995, he moved south to Mooresville, North Carolina and drove in the ARCA Racing Series. Named ARCA Rookie of the Year in 1996, Alexander was a regular driver in that series while also driving in both the NASCAR Busch Series and Craftsman Truck Series.

On October 4, 2001, during the ACRA EasyCare 100 at Lowe's Motor Speedway, Alexander's car crashed into the outside retaining wall nearly head-on. His death from basilar skull fracture, the fifth driver death from rapid-deceleration head-and-neck movements in 17 months, convinced NASCAR to mandate the HANS or Hutchens devices for all drivers.