You’ve probably never noticed the special decal on the front bumper of Jimmie Johnson’s #48 Chevy, but there’s a story behind it that made every lap of today’s race more meaningful for Johnson. On the front bumper is a flame with the initials BA and N501RH. The 501RH is the tail number of the Hendrick plane that crashed in 2004, killing all 10 aboard as they headed for the fall Martinsville race. The BA? That’s for Blaise Alexander, a good friend of Johnson’s, who died in a [ARCA] crash Oct. 4, 2001, at Charlotte Motor Speedway — three days before Johnson made his Cup debut on the same track. Shortly after Alexander’s accident, a mutual friend of Johnson’s and Alexander’s worked in Johnson’s Nationwide shop and came over to the Cup team with Johnson. That crew member would draw the design and the BA initials on the front bumper with a Sharpie on every one of Johnson’s car as it was finished in the shop. “It was like the final touch that went on (the car),” Johnson said.(link to an image at Virginian Pilot)(11-22-2010)
