Drag Illustrated Issue 139, December 2018 | Page 80
30 UNDER 30 · 2018
BUSINESS
AS
USUAL
Blake Alexander’s rise
to NHRA Top Fuel stardom
BY NATE VAN WAGNEN
PHOTOGRAPH BY RICK BELDEN
eated at the bar in the Venetian lobby Starbucks, Blake
Alexander is preparing his notes for a week of meetings and
appearances at the SEMA show and neighboring AAPEX
trade show. It’s early Monday morning and some hotel guests
are still stumbling in after a wild night on the Las Vegas strip.
Others are resting up for a week of expensive dinners on the
company card. Just outside of town, the track crew at The
Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway is starting to prep the
track for a day of post-Toyota Nationals testing.
Alexander will head out to the track in a couple hours, and
he’ll take part in his share of extravagant meals and cocktail hours with auto industry executives
this week, but first comes the not-so-glamorous work that goes into keeping a money-hungry
Top Fuel dragster off the Pro Jacks and on the track. “People don’t see this part of the game,
but doing things like this – making sure sponsors are happy or making sure they’re seeing that
ROI – are every bit as important to Top Fuel racing as burnouts and nitro and parts,” Alexander
Dr ag Illustr ated
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