Bootie Barker

Early life

Barker grew up next to South Boston Speedway but preferred stick and ball sports, playing football as a linebacker. While a senior at Halifax County High School, he was paralyzed from the waist down after a car accident. He studied engineering at Old Dominion University, earning a degree in mechanical engineering in 1994.

As a junior, he heard Benny Parsons on the radio discussing engineers who build shock absorbers for race cars, which redirected his focus to motorsports. He began spending time in the infield at South Boston Speedway and later sold tires there, working for driver Ashton Lewis on his late model team. Barker has written magazine columns and been a regular guest on NASCAR RaceHub on Fox Sports 1.

Racing career

Barker spent most of 2006 as crew chief for Jeff Green and the No. 66 Haas CNC Racing Chevrolet. That year, he boosted his profile with a weekly NASCAR.com column called "Urban Legends" and regular appearances on NASCAR RaceDay. In 2007, he moved to the No. 70 Haas CNC Racing Chevrolet with Johnny Sauter, scoring two top-ten finishes: ninth at Phoenix in the Subway Fresh Fit 500 and fifth at Richmond in the Chevy Rock & Roll 400. That August, ABC's NASCAR in Primetime featured the No. 70 team.

On October 1, 2008, Michael Waltrip Racing named him crew chief for the No. 55 Toyota driven by Michael Waltrip for the 2009 Sprint Cup season. In February 2018, Joe Gibbs Racing hired him for its ARCA program with Riley Herbst. In September 2021, 23XI Racing announced Barker would take over as crew chief for Bubba Wallace and the No. 23 Toyota, starting at the Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race at Bristol. On October 4, 2021, he scored his first Cup Series win as a crew chief—and 23XI Racing's first win—when Bubba Wallace won the rain-shortened YellaWood 500 at Talladega.

Did You Know?

• He was suspended for four races in 2022 due to a tire and wheel loss during the Texas Grand Prix at COTA.
• In 2026, Barker won the Brickyard 400 as crew chief for Corey Heim.