Lifestyle

JASON ON THE JOB
While Jason’s life ambition is to be a Sprint Cup driver and make it in the sport of NASCAR, he pays the bills as Oakley’s Motorsports Sales Rep. Bowles sells Oakley’s highly desireable line of motorsports clothing to half or more of the NASCAR teams. This includes outfitting crew members with all the shirts, pants, backpacks and gear, as well as providing drivers and pit crew members with firesuits, shoes and of course - sunglasses.

Bowles on chasing the wheel:
“I’ve worked my entire life to be a race car driver. Why stop now, right? I’m still working all week, flying to races and doing whatever it takes. In that respect, Oakley has been really great in allowing me to pursue my dream and at the same time have a great job. I’m living in Charlotte, meeting every team, and able to fully immerse myself in the sport as I try and prove that I can drive at this level. I have no complaints, but it’s a 24-7 job, that’s for sure!”

JASON OFF THE JOB
A hard person to get to relax, Bowles spends his time not thinking about racing by biking, either on the trails on his mountain bike or on the road with his purpose-built Diamondback road bike. During the summer months, like many drivers, Bowles can be found on the lake wakeboarding or wake-surfing with friends - something that never seems to get old.

Bowles on biking:
“Aside from the obvious, that’s it’s good for your health and keeping in shape, it’s just good to go out and clear your head. Racing is pretty all-consuming and everyone in th sport knows that. North Carolina is awesome because there are places five minutes from my house where I can ride and feel like I’m in the middle of nowhere. One of my favorite spots is in the state park up in the Troutman area. I can actually take my boat there, jump off at a friend’s dock with my bike and ride for miles on the park’s trails.”

Bowles on Lake Norman:
“I grew up in Southern California (Ontario) and had my share of the beach, but the beach was a little bit of a hike and I spent most of my weekends racing as it was, so having Lake Norman right here so close is awesome. It’s amazing how many drivers and crew members end up on the lake during an off weekend or even after 5pm during the week. I’ve met a ton of people in this industry just hanging out on the lake on Sundays.

“I’ve kind of gotten into the whole wake-surfing thing this year. We tried last year at the end of the season and now we’re all about it. It’s different from wakeboarding because you don’t need a rope - you literally just ride the wake like you would a wave in the ocean. And similar to biking, the lake is a great place to unwind, so this time of year I’m out there three or four times a week.”