PHOTO: NHRA / NATIONAL DRAGSTER |
seems like since about my second championship, which was 1977, there’ s been a lot of people trying to put me out, team up against me, do this, do that and there’ s a lot of smack-talkers out there. But I just do my deal. I’ m old-school, I don’ t get on the Internet and run my jaw, and my plan has always been and always will be until I retire is let the scoreboard do my talking.
At what point in your career did you realize there was always going to be that target on your back? Was there something that helped you learn to deal with that prospect?
TC: It’ s funny you say it, because a lot times when you’ re racing guys, whether it’ s a full-time guy on the tour or a guy that hits just a couple races, it’ s kind of just the opposite. You’ re trying to take them down with everything you’ ve got because the class is so vulnerable to cars getting down all the time. It’ s a lot of horsepower with a short wheelbase and it’ s tough. It’ s competitive and it’ s tough to keep them consistent and fast, so really you treat everyone the same. Anybody who qualifies in the top 16 can definitely win the race and I treat everyone the same. You have to because they’ re doing the same thing to you. You have to be on your game 100 percent of the time.
RS: I think playing football in school and wrestling was probably the best thing I’ ve ever done to learn self-discipline. In wrestling, it’ s one-on-one. There’ s nobody else to help you and you’ re doing it yourself. That’ s probably the best thing that helped me to deal with life later on. You just have to believe in yourself that you’ re good, that you’ re as good as anybody out there. I feel like I’ m as good as anybody out there and I don’ t pay a lot of attention to them. I can smack talk. I’ ve done it with Ronnie Sox and Warren Johnson and( Bob) Glidden. We’ ve all had our times. That don’ t bother me, but my deal is just keep my head down and have confidence in myself. I don’ t care who you are, if you don’ t believe in yourself and what you can do, you can get messed up bad by letting people talk junk to
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you. The whole thing in life and everything is believing in yourself.
When you have people coming after you, there’ s always the potential for drama and stress. If it’ s something like trash talk, calling
HOLD THE LINE Despite the KB Racing team’ s near domination of the Pro Stock class in 2016, Jason Line is humble about his success and realizes the competition is closing in fast as the class adjusts to electronic fuel injection.
you out or teams coming specifically after you, how do handle that?
JL: Everybody handles stress differently, and honestly I stress out over a lot of things, but I don’ t know if I stress out over( drama). That’ s probably just my way of handling it, telling myself that’ s how it is. We’ re all wired a little bit different and that’ s just the way I am.
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TC: How to deal with people that are coming up and trying to mess with you? I think over the years of racing and bracket racing, you’ re dealing with the best bull-shitters in the world. So when you get into the Pro Stock and Pro Mod ranks, and stuff like that, you just tune it out, like it’ s just not there. You’ re out there with the goal to win and a tuneup that’ s damn near as fast as the thing will go. So it’ s just balancing everything. I think over the years I’ ve gotten used to it, and every now and then you smirk and piss somebody off, but that’ s racing. The TV people have said to us numerous times,‘ You guys need to continue to create drama,’ so I’ m like,‘ That’ s cool.’ That’ s been more fun because I’ ve always tried to stay out of the way and race our race, but it’ s always fun to stir things up a little.
RS: I think what’ s helped me more than anything is I’ ve had major sponsors most of my career. When you’ ve got major companies behind you, you can’ t be a loudmouth out here. You can piss off a lot of people, then they start jawing and big sponsors worry about people taking the wrong attitude toward them and not buying their product or this or that. It’ s been 85 percent of my career where I’ ve had good sponsors, and you just can’ t go out there and say what you want to say sometimes. You’ ve got to bite your lip, turn your cheek and just go light up the scoreboard again. That’ s the only way you can do it. It’ s a known truth – I wouldn’ t have what I have and be where I’ m at today if I had gotten online and run my mouth sometimes when I wanted to. Trust me, I wanted to say a lot of stuff over the years, but I just had to bite my lip and go home, brush it off and go again.
As the perceived racer out in front, how do you feel when there are frequent rule changes with your particular class?
JL: I always feel like it’ s to knock you down, but I don’ t know, maybe that’ s not what it is for. In the past, I can’ t say that I’ ve embraced rule changes. After last year, I would like to lobby for some more. Right now at this point in my life – and
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January 2017 |
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