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At Full Song




Against the Wall............   Blaise Alexander 1976 ~ 2001

Another race driver has had a fatal visit to the wall. No, it was not a NASCAR driver, but he was driving a racecar with the stiff front end Winston Cup chassis. The cars used in the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) events are very similar to those used in NASCAR. The impact and fatal injury was identical to those that took the lives of John Nemechek, Adam Petty, Kenny Irwin Jr., Tony Roper, and Dale Earnhardt. Alexander was not wearing a head and neck safety device. He was wearing a "horse collar" device that is mandated by ARCA, but it does not offer protection against forward head movement during a crash, which results in basilar skull fractures.

The concern for driver safety that was so prevalent after the deaths of the other drivers has once again been resurrected. Will NASCAR take any action? My guess is no. There has been talk of soft wall technology and redesigning the front ends of the racecars. Then there is the energy absorbing "Humpy Bumper" designed by Humpy Wheeler, president of the Charlotte track.

To begin with, all of these safety enhancements cost a lot of money to develop and incorporate into the venues on the circuit. The name of the game these days is "profit." At the time of Dale Earnhardt's demise, NASCAR was in the middle of a huge financial slump. Ticket sales were off, as well as the souvenir and die cast markets. NASCAR had reached it's peak, and was headed back down to who knows where. The notoriety surrounding the Earnhardt tragedy resurrected NASCAR racing, and brought it back to a profitable level in the entertainment industry. As long as the fatal danger remains intact, stock car racing will remain profitable.

At any rate, it is sad that Blaise Alexander fell victim to the prevalent fatal equation in stock car racing. As a native Pennsylvanian, I have watched Blaise race at Pocono. He was a true racer, he died fighting for the win during the waning laps of a race. My thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends of our fallen racer from Montoursville, Pennsylvania.





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The copyright of the article At Full Song in NASCAR is owned by Thomas M. Sampson. Permission to republish At Full Song in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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