JUSTIN ‘BIG CHIEF’ SHEARER
Shearer admits that his involvement in a violent, high-speed, two-car
accident during the filming of a season 7 episode earlier this year left him
with a newfound appreciation for the safety apparatus available to racers,
as well as a strong sense of responsibility given his personal prominence
and that of Street Outlaws. He’s since become a strong and vocal proponent of safety within his personal racing circles, encouraging those around
him to use the equipment available to
them to stay safe wherever it is they race
their cars.
“After my accident in the car, I do feel
a little bit more responsibility to let people – especially young people – know
a little bit more about the dangers of
what I do, why I do it and that there are
other options.”
Can “Big Chief ” change, though?
Could the leader of a rebel band of illegal
street racers leave the streets behind and
try to make it in the world of professional
drag racing?
“The street racing thing,” starts Shearer,
without an ounce of hesitation in his
voice. “That’s where I’m from. That’s
what I do. I eat in the street. That’s how
I make my money; that’s how I have
fun, and that’s how I hang out with my
friends. But you get to a point where
you have to ask yourself if the risk outweighs… Like the juice isn’t quite worth
the squeeze.”
That notion, largely, is derived from
the rapidly increasing performance of
the cars that race on Street Outlaws, and
those in the underground street racing
world in general.
“In cars like what we have now, we’re
pushing it,” he says. “Let’s be honest.
We’re pushing it way, way, way far beyond
what it was ever supposed to be. But that
competitive thing keeps everything moving forward, it keeps everyone pushing
the envelope, keeps things escalating,
and before you know it you’re in a 4.0 car
on the street doing a 190mph in the eighth-mile. That’s f@#$%!& insane.”
The question begs to be asked, though, does being insane mean he’s
going to stop doing it?
“Does that mean I’m going to stop doing it?” Shearer proposes. “As long
as there are guys out there with cars that are as fast or faster than mine
with money in their pocket – you know where I’ll be.
“But this other deal – NHRA – it has me intrigued. I’m talking to a lot of
these guys, listening to how these operations work, how fast the cars are
and ho w hard some of them are to drive and, ya’ know – it’s drag racing,
it’s a challenge, so I’m interested. They invited me to come out and check
it out, so that’s what I’m doing. I’m looking it over.”
While there’s no official plan in place or even any serious proposals as
of yet, the talk of the NHRA Summernationals was the possibility of “Big
Chief ” turning up in Pro Stock at some point in the future, though his
personal interests lie in Pro Mod-style
drag racing, especially since that’s where
cars somewhat similar to his compete.
“We’ll see what happens from here,” he
says. “I don’t know. NHRA is going to
let me in their club for now, but I’m not
sure they want me around as much as
they think they do. Because once they
actually get a real look at who I am and
what I’m about, I’m not sure that I fit in
here. But for now, we’re working on it.
We’re mending the relationship. We’re in
talks. We’re in couples counseling.”
Shearer may get his kicks and put
money in his pockets on the street, but
he won’t shy away from the fact that he’s
a lifelong fan of drag racing.
“At the end of the day, I love drag racing. I’ve watched NHRA drag racing on
TV and followed drag racing my entire
life. Dude, when I went to Reher-Morrison [Racing Engines] just a couple
weeks ago to have my motor looked at, I
like freaked out because I was in the Pro
Stock cylinder head room. I mean, Lee
Shepherd was here; he was in this room.
It’s like ‘holy shit’.”
For someone who has no problem admitting that his personal goal is to have a
career in drag racing, it’s less than shocking that one of the biggest stars the racing industry has seen in years turned
up at a NHRA Mello Yello Series Drag
Racing event.
“I’m drag racing to the core,” he concludes. “They’re racing out here, and I
want to at least know what it’s about. If
there’s an opportunity for me to drag race for the rest of my life and not
have to work on cars anymore? I’m always, always, always going to be
about that. I’m going to be about finding a way to race and not have to
work on cars to make a living.
“Right now, I’m just walking around, shaking hands and meeting people.
There’s a lot of energy out here, but it’s not in the places you’d expect.”
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40 | D r a g
I l l u s t r a t e d | DragIllustrated.com
Issue 111
PHOTO: KEVIN COX
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