Earlier this week, Haas CNC Racing announced changes in crew chief roles for the No. 66 Chevrolet, driven by Jeff Green in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, and the No. 00 Chevrolet, driven by Johnny Sauter in the NASCAR Busch Series.
Harold Holly, who previously served as crew chief for Sauter, is now the crew chief for driver Jeff Green and the No. 66 entry. Robert "Bootie" Barker, who previously served as crew chief for Green, in turn takes over crew chief duties for Sauter.
Robert "Bootie" Barker is known by fans and his peers as one of the most candid crew chiefs in the NASCAR Nextel Cup garage. Barker’s knowledge and frankness causes media members to seek his opinion whenever there’s a racing-related topic being discussed.
Barker’s candor and humor is showcased every week on two television programs on SPEED Channel that focus on racing. Barker’s “Bootie Call” segment airs on “SpeedNews,” and he’s also a featured panelist on “NASCAR Performance.”
Barker, a native of Halifax, VA., attended college at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, VA. While still in school, Barker worked with a Late Model Series team owned by driver Ashton Lewis (who now drives in the NASCAR Busch Series)
After graduating in 1996 with a degree in Mechanical Engineering, Barker moved to North Carolina and went to work building shock absorbers for team owner Kurt Roehrig’s NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series team.
After working with Bill Davis Racing as a shock absorber specialist in 1998, Barker joined Hendrick Motorsports for 1999 and most of 2000, where he worked on the No. 24 team of NASCAR Champion Jeff Gordon. While working as a shock specialist with Gordon, Barker helped the No. 24 visit Victory Lane five times.
In late 2000, Barker returned to Bill Davis Racing to serve as crew chief for Busch Series driver Scott Wimmer. Barker and Wimmer turned in a solid rookie season together, finishing 11th in the NASCAR Busch Series point standings in 2001.
The 2002 season saw Barker and Wimmer combine to win four of the season’s final eight races (including back-to-back wins in the final two races of the year). The team finished third in the Busch Series points standings, with 11 top-five and 17 top-10 finishes.
In 2003, Barker realized a career goal of becoming a NASCAR Winston Cup (now Nextel Cup) crew chief when he moved to Jasper Motorsports. There, he was reunited with driver Dave Blaney, who had worked with Barker at Bill Davis Racing. In just the second race of the season, Barked helped Blaney score his first career Winston Cup pole position at North Carolina Speedway.
As the 2003 season was drawing to a close, Barker joined Haas CNC Racing, taking on the daunting task of developing a new Busch Series team.
With driver Jason Leffler, Barker and his No. 00 Haas CNC Racing team posted eight top-five and 17 top-10 finishes (in 34 races) in 2004. Barker also led the team to its first victory at Nashville (TN) Superspeedway in June.
With four races remaining in the 2004 season, Barker moved up to lead Haas CNC Racing’s Nextel Cup Series team with driver Mike Bliss. In 2005, the duo posted top-10 finishes at Pocono Raceway and Bristol Motor Speedway on their way to 17 finishes of 20th or better.
For 2006 and beyond, Barker is excited to partner with veteran NASCAR driver, Jeff Green (the 2000 Busch Series champion), on the No. 66 Best Buy Chevrolet team for Haas CNC Racing.