Caffeine just before a short nap can improve post nap alertness

It may work the same way. The key is that when you get drowsy adenosine accumulation is what triggers the need to sleep. When you start to sleep/nap adenosine dissipates fairly quickly. The studies referenced in the OP note that it take 30 minutes for caffeine to begin stimulating your system. Therefore if the caffeine isn't competing with adenosine at the 30 minute mark, when you wake up the caffeine is able to give you a full strength boost.

Back when I drove in the late '70's it wasn't uncommon to see pill poppers at truck stops. There were some rather worrisome sights, with truckers shaking so bad they couldn't drink their coffee without spilling it in their lap at the lunch counter. It's much better today, I haven't witnessed anything like that on my return to the industry.

Personally I don't do energy drinks. The caffeine in most of them is way too high and I know for a fact that especially young folks are getting so much caffeine they are habituated, ie. more caffeine intake will have the opposite effect and make them more drowsy. If anyone reading this is experiencing habituation symptoms I strongly recommend you stop taking any form of caffeine for a period of at least two or three days. You will likely experience symptoms of withdrawal during this time. After two or three days you can resume MODERATE use of caffeine. I prefer my caffeine in the form of coffee, lightly sweetened with honey. I'm down to one mug, then switch to water or juice for the balance of the day.

After reading the articles I'm tempted to not take caffeine until I take a nap.