(Photos by Jeffers Race Cars – Jason Nubs Dunn) – In news that one year ago would seem like an April Fool’s Day prank, Justin “Big Chief” Shearer will be racing in the J&A Service Pro Modified class at the 2016 NHRA Chevrolet Performance US Nationals. Internet speculation raged for most of the day after word escaped of the situation and the question was pretty simple. What would he be driving? Larry Jeffers Race Cars cleared all of it up in one fell swoop with the announcement and photos that Shearer had dropped off his car at their shop to be updated and brought up to the proper specs to make it legal for class competition. The next big question comes in regard to the engine. If Shearer shows up with the Pontiac power plant in the car he will be a hero to the fans but the chances of making what has been the quickest field in the classes history multiple times will be thinner than onion skin.
There is rampant speculation that there will be a more traditional turbocharged engine under the long nose of the white Pontiac Firebird when it rolls into the staging lanes at Indy but until we get some facts or information on that front we’ll leave it there.
The reaction to the news has been interesting. On one side of the fence there are the people that are freaking out because they claim that he has been unfairly inserted into the field. Technically that argument does not hold water as NHRA allowed racers with ONE grade point register for pro mod at Indy. As an NHRA license holder, Shearer had the necessary point to register for the race. On the other side of the fence are those that are excited to see him racing at the most prestigious drag race in the world. It’ll be a story from the first qualifying shot to the last during Indy. We’ll keep you updated and pass along any relevant information as we can shake it out of the trees.
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Sorry but that car is so damn ugly!
Yea, It looks just like the current Pro Stocks, except for the year car it’s trying to represent.
You must not watch much pro mod or pro stock, the car looks like a lot of the other pro mods and nothing like a pro stock.
Really??? NHRA allowing a street racer to run at a national event?
He works for nhra
Wrong.
My question is what about his definite attitude about NHRA sending letters to those guys about street racing? Thought they said they would take their comp licenses yet he still has it and he didn’t stop the street racing shit?
I believe they may have receded the letter in question. Some insiders, said that the 405 guys…and a few others…are being allowed, because the events they run, are done under a “controlled” environment.
IMHO, Big Chief will always be a SO but if the opportunity presents itself for him to race at the US Nationals, why not take it!
Will he qualify, anybody’s guess.
Yep, funny how the NHRA can look the other way on those “letters” they sent out last year if it can bring in more fans. It’s all about the $$. Anybody that says otherwise is fooling themselves.
There’s a new president/ceo at NHRA. He’s obviously I Trieste in working with Chief. It’s been explained, BY CHIEF AKA JUSTIN SHEARER HIMSELF, what happened and why the change.
Anybody notice Shawn’s “new” Nova in the background?
Yea, I could see it, maybe cause I wasn’t consumed with hatred ?
That’s not Shawn’s. Shawn’s car was built at Don Dial Race cars. So why would it be at Larry Jeffers’?
Because that’s not his car.
nhra is desperate for viewers
anyone who can pull in viewers is OK to race with them
even if this car runs like another nhra tomato can, nobody will care
🙂 I’m confused…..I thought it was a street car. I think this is as cool as shaving ice cubes off an iceberg in Alaska!
Brent is right on.
I’ll bet dollars to donuts that someone in/around NHRA said, “uhh, do you guys realize how many fans this guy has?”
It’s already been announced that he’s getting a billet block. Not sure any details, but it’s circulated Facebook a little bit
You guys need to listen to the chief and shawn show podcast. On one of the episodes, Chief explains how he the NHRA took him to a track and showed him around, gave him a license etc.
He also explains how he wants to do whatever he can to make a living from racing.
What he is doing is awesome, its a dream of many that 99% will never attain. I hope he qualifies at the very least. Its a big money world in pro mod. We will see what will happen.
They didn’t give him a license. He did everything needed to get one. He did his needed runs to prove he is capable of operating a 6 second car safely and had 2 other professional drivers sign-off on it. He paid his fees and they issued him a license and comp #.
So what they are saying is it ok to Street Race as long as you can fill the stands at the track. I don’t like it, NHRA was founded to get kids off the street and onto the track in a safe racing environment. My car has never been on the street, never will. Watch this clown crash again on the street and hurt/kill someone.
Better update that engine combination if he wants to make the field.
Who the Hell is Justin Shearer???
so I thought the Chief was this wiz bang mechanic car builder. Now he has to take his car to a shop to get it to NHRA specs? WTF, just another tv poser wannabe. This is what pro-wrestling has come to, fake car shows. Well, at least I still can watch Leno’s garage without pukin.
Bob, who are you kidding? You’ll be watching SO just like the rest of us.
It’s like driving by a car wreck, can’t rubberneck enough.
Who the hell builds there own promod chassis? No body. He races the car, they do wrench on them, but why bother trying to become an expert chassis builder? Or engine builder? Pro-mod isn’t a grass root sport, its a high dollar, high speed top of the sport type of deal. Maintaining the car, changing broken bits and getting it down the track is one thing. Building the thing is something else. Sending it to a professional chassis builder to perform the needed stuff to make it legal and safe is the smart decision. I don’t care if you’re on tv or not.
On a side note, you can’t honestly believe that he or any of the guys on street outlaws were just hired to drive some cars given to them by discovery? Or that the racing itself (I’m not talking the interviews, made up drama, or random scenarios they find themselves in) is fake? Put 2 extremely competitive drag racers in a lane and tell 1 just lose to him because it makes him look good. They’ll tell you to F-off.
Sorry to say, you do not have to like the street outlaws guys, you don’t need to think they are anything but punk street racers. But they are racers. Genuine racers, genuine car guys and they are bringing people to the sport.
Who said he was a car builder? Lmao. Don Dial built the crow. They also build the 2nd murder Nova.
He’s a tuner and racer. He’s NOT a builder. Far from it.
You obviously don’t waste away watching TV, do ya Brendan? Now get back out there in the garage where you belong. The Hot Rod Reunion will be here before you know it!
Sam
So wil chief be running at outlaw Armageddon
My guess is that his crash was a real eye opener… he loves racing… he has a built in fan base… someone will pick him up and sponsor him… so why the hell not?
I still think it’s a last grasp of air for the NHRA. I could devise a plan that could save their sorry asses… but it wouldn’t include stroking advertisers or drivers having to look right in order to have their face on a billboard.
How about an interactive app that allows fans insight into engine/clutch set ups, offering up input and then being able to wager on who wins?
Think waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay outside the box, NHRA. You are so out of touch with the younger generation… they aren’t impressed with loud noise, fire, explosions or pretty faces.
Allow ME to sit on my phone and tell Coil how many nuts to hang on the clutch and then bet my paycheck on Force for the win.
When your mission statement says one thing, and all you do is look for ways to make yourself MORE POPULAR… instead of “Hmmm… what would the fans like to see??” You are doomed!!
Sam
Sam
who owns those cars we see on street racers the drivers or the TV production company ???
The drivers.
You can’t be THAT retarded to think a TV company spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to build multiple cars with 2000+ horsepower.