Blake had a wild weekend of racing on August 9th and 10th. He clocked the fourth fastest time at Wake County Speedway in Raleigh on Friday night finishing the race in P7. After Friday night, he headed straight to Anderson Speedway in Williamston South Carolina for a full day of racing on Saturday August 10th. Blake started that race in P19 with a field of 25+ cars. He steadily worked his way up until he was spun by a car that blew a tire, sending him to the back of the pack. Blake was determined though, and past 15 cars in the next 10 minutes of the race putting him in P10. In the second to last lap Blake was spun out by another driver and that’s when things got crazy. A very late yellow caution flag left Blake vulnerable on the track when the lead pack of drivers came flying back around turn one for the last lap, not knowing Blake was stopped on the track. Two drivers, including one of Blake’s teammates, were able to take quick evasive action and swerve and miss Blake’s car, but a third car T-boned the #59 hard in the driver-side door at full speed. Blake’s car was thrown into the wall. The other car caught fire. That driver was able to exit his burning car but Blake was trapped in his #59 car. Rescue crews were slow on the response to Blake, but thanks to the quick action of other drivers, pit crew members and fans who jumped the wall, the door was pried off and Blake was removed from the car. He took an ambulance trip to the hospital where he spent the night in the emergency room and left with a new pair of crutches. Luckily he had no broken bones (just a badly sprained ankle) but was a little banged up and a lot sore. He wants all his fans to know he is back on the mend now and looking forward to his next race (after a quick trip to watch NASCAR racing at Bristol). He and his family give a huge thank you to the folks at Anderson, AKPerformance , fellow drivers, teammates and fans who helped get Blake safely out of his wrecked car. After the red flag, Blake ended that race in P10.
Blake’s #59 car back at the shop after wreck at Anderson. That driver-side door panel showed its strength by taking the full speed impact of another car without buckling in on Blake. Blake was bumped and bruised but had no broken bones. Unfortunately the #59 may be beyond repair but it protected and served Blake well in the 2019 season.
Blake's crash at Anderson Motor Speedway SC August 2019 (upper right of screen)
