INTERVIEW: Big Chief still has fear when he gets behind ‘3,000-pound death rocket’ on ‘Street Outlaws’
Photo: Street Outlaws features the street racing of Big Chief Justin Shearer. Photo courtesy of Discovery / Provided by press site with permission.
Street Outlaws, the hit Discovery series that follows teams of street racers in Oklahoma, features many personalities and storylines, but one person rises to the top: Big Chief, aka Justin Shearer. He has been on the racing scene since the young age of 9, according to press notes, and now he runs the 405 crew and dominates the local scene.
“Honestly, at this point in the game, the first couple of seasons I was always really worried if we were going to get picked up, but it’s been going so strong for so long now that it’s all I know,” Chief said in a recent phone interview. “If there wasn’t another season, I would be the most surprised because I don’t even think about it anymore. All I think about is preparing for the next season.”
New episodes of the reality series air Mondays at 8 p.m. on the network. It’s joined on Discovery by other revved-up shows like Fast N’ Loud, Vegas Rat Rods and several Street Outlaws offshoots.
The current season of the hit series finds Chief and his 405 at a crossroads, trying to change their habits so they can compete with the new racers in town. “I always felt like I was famous but nobody else knew it yet,” he said. “I had that weird thing in my brain that told me that I was special. Maybe it was my mom or whatever. I never imagined that people from all walks of life would give a crap about what I’m doing on Saturday night. It’s humbling. It’s very humbling, and I’m very grateful.”
For Chief, this new season is the most exciting one yet. He believes that most episodes of Street Outlaws are solid entertainment for the fans, but he called this current set of episodes “special” and “one of the greatest” ever produced. The reason? The team gets back to legit street racing, with less emphasis on the money aspect or the in-fighting between different racers.
“We just get back to doing it for the love of street racing,” Chief said. “We get to show the world what street racing means to us, and so for me this will always be one of my favorite seasons. Everything that you think you know about Street Outlaws goes out the window, and then everything that you want Street Outlaws to be is where we go in the season. It’s just incredible, and it happens so organically. The COVID pandemic forced us into a weird place, and we came out of it so strong. I don’t know, man. It’s hard to explain. It gives me chills just thinking about where the season took us, and I’m so proud of what people can see on TV.”
Not everyone is a fan of Street Outlaws on the network, with some decrying its “outlaw” glamorization and the inherent risks that can be found in street racing. There is a disclaimer on the show, but it has been met with some controversy. Simultaneously it has also become a mainstay of Discovery’s programming.
Chief, who has been in the business for a long time, said the competition on the series continues to go up and up and up. He recognizes that today, in 2021, there’s a lot to be sacrificed in order to be #1. He called street racing a 24-hour commitment that eats up nearly 365 days a year. He needs to work nonstop and have steely determination.
“If you’re the #1 guy, more rules apply to you than anyone else, so it seems like I’m always fighting from below even though I’m on the top,” he said. “Even I’m the #1 guy, it seems like I’m always the underdog because everybody else gets to race all night trying to make it up the list, and then after they’ve made all the hits and gotten all the data and raced all night, then I come off the trailer and have to race them. So it’s unbelievable what it takes to get to the top and then stay at the top.”
Watching the Discovery series — which has safety protocols in place — one might think the racers are fearless in their pursuits. That’s not the case, at least not with Chief. He fully admitted that fear is a motivating factor for him and has always been there. And audience members should take stock: Do not try this at home.
“Anybody that tells you that they don’t get scared when they climb behind the wheel of a 3,000-pound death rocket at 200 miles per hour on a public road, they’re full of crap honestly,” he said. “I’ve had some really bad crashes over the years that almost took my life, broken my back and my neck and punctured lungs. Every morning I feel it, all the crazy crashes that I’ve had, and I’m lucky to be alive.”
He added: “They say to race car drivers, ‘It’s the next one that’s going to get you. The next crash is going to be bigger and scarier and worse, and you’ll break more bones. You’ll tear up more shit. The next crash is always the bad one.’ And from the crashes that I’ve had, to think that there’s going to be a worst crash then that, I mean it scares the shit out of me. Every time I climb in that car and I pull up to the starting line, when I let go of the button, there’s something inside you as a human that doesn’t want to do it. It’s almost begging and screaming inside not to let go of the button, not to go through with it. People always say they have a bad feeling, and they didn’t want to do it. I have 100 bad feelings a night, and I have to force myself to go through with it anyway. … Dude, anytime I get in the car I’m scared to f***ing death, man. I don’t want to do it. There’s a muffled voice way back in the empty part of my head where my brain used to be, and that’s where I hear that voice. And it’s just saying, ‘Don’t do it,’ but I force myself to do it every time.”
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Street Outlaws continues with new episodes Mondays at 8 p.m. on Discovery Channel. Click here for more information. Audience members should not attempt any of this racing at home.
