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The American Dream BY NATE VAN WAGNEN
Blake Alexander , who appeared on the cover of the 2018 DI 30 Under 30 Issue , passionately celebrates his second career Funny Car win at the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals after defeating four-time and reigning world champion Matt Hagan in the final round . Driving the Head Contractors / Pronto Auto Service Centers / Schaeffler Ford Mustang , Alexander beat Dave Richards , Jack Beckman , and Chad Green on his way to the final round .
“ I don ’ t want to sound arrogant , but I know that when I ’ m on , I ’ m one of the top guys out here . I know when I ’ m not on , just like anyone else , I can be a problem for my race team ,” said Alexander , who joined an exclusive club last season when he earned his first Funny Car win at Norwalk , adding to two wins in Top Fuel . “ So I ’ m trying to keep it tight , four straight runs every single time . Saying that is really easy to do , but doing that is really hard .”
Alexander grew up going to the races with his father , who was in the auto parts business . He saved up to buy his first Jr . Dragster and eventually climbed the ranks , driving everything from
PHOTOGRAPH BY JERRY FOSS / NHRA Brainerd International Raceway Brainerd , Minnesota | Sunday , August 18th , 2024
Comp Eliminator Altereds and outlaw Pro Mods to A / Fuel dragsters . He made his Funny Car debut in 2013 and has progressed from a part-time rookie to a nitro veteran who has driven in and won in both of the NHRA ’ s top-tier classes . Alexander is now a championship contender , working with crew chief and car owner Jim Head and his Head Racing team .
“ I ’ m really proud of this team ,” said Alexander , who also briefly owned his own Funny Car team . “ They worked really hard on the combination , and seeing them pull the strings on it in between runs . We ’ re making legit horsepower now , and when it turns into a horsepower game , we can play that game now , and I ’ m pretty proud of that .” DI
174 | Drag Illustrated | DragIllustrated . com Issue 191