 Barban atSonoma Raceway in 2019 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Earl Paul Barban Jr. |
Nickname(s) | "The Duke", "Big Earl"[1] |
| Born | (1964-10-05)October 5, 1964 (age 61) |
| Education | St. Louis Community College–Florissant Valley |
| Alma mater | University of Missouri |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Auto racing |
| Position | Spotter |
| League | NASCAR Cup Series |
| Team | 84. (Jimmie Johnson)Legacy Motor Club |
| Achievements and titles | |
| National finals | 2006,2009–2010,2013,2016 Cup Series 2014,2017–2018 Xfinity Series |
Earl Paul Barban Jr. (born October 5, 1964) is an Americanstock car racingspotter and former team owner.
He is a five-time Cup Series champion with Jimmie Johnson and has won three Xfinity titles with JR Motorsports'Chase Elliott,William Byron, andTyler Reddick.
Barban grew up inSt. Louis and attendedJennings High School inJennings, Missouri. During his youth, he had numerous jobs beginning with handing out pizza flyers at the age of 13; other occupations included being a cook atSteak 'n Shake, operating a forklift, driving anairport bus, and applyingdeodorant balls forBan Roll-On.[1] In 2020, he noted that his father "used to make fun of me that I had 21 jobs and 21 cars before I was 21 years old."[2]
In 1983, he enlisted in theUnited States Marine Corps Reserve, where he served as a truck driver until 1988 and received theNavy Achievement Medal.[1][2] He is an alumnus ofSt. Louis Community College–Florissant Valley and theUniversity of Missouri.[1]
Barban began his involvement in motorsports as a mechanic for a friend'ssprint car racing team, followed by a brief driving stint atPevely Speedway in St. Louis.[3]
He was later hired byPenske Racing, where he worked a variety of roles including souvenir sales and driving the team's hauler.[1] In conjunction with his hauler duties, he was a member of Penske driverRusty Wallace's pit crew as the gas man.[4] Barban was promoted to jackman and mechanic in 1997,[5] followed by becoming Wallace's spotter in 2002. He served in the role for much of the year outside of theCoca-Cola 600 when he returned to being the jackman.[6] In November, he was involved in a motorcycle accident while riding toNorth Carolina Speedway, leading to three broken ribs, a punctured lung, and a ruptured spleen;[7] he returned to his post for preseason testing in January 2003.[8]
In 1995, Barban fielded a truck for Rusty's brotherKenny Wallace in theNASCAR SuperTruck Series, an effort that was supported by Penske.[9] Wallace ran three races for Barban that year in the No. 90 Ford, recording two top-ten finishes and a best run of fourth atMartinsville Speedway,[10] before moving to Penske's own Truck team for 1996.[9]
When Wallace retired after the 2005 season, Barban moved toHendrick Motorsports' No. 48 team ofJimmie Johnson.[11] Barban's first race as Johnson's spotter was the2006 Daytona 500, which he ultimately won. Johnson would win that year's championship, though Barban left the team forYates Racing andStevie Reeves took over as spotter.[12] He returned to the No. 48 team in 2009,[13] and the duo scored four more titles from 2009 to 2010, 2013, and 2016.[2]
Barban also works at theNASCAR Xfinity Series level for Hendrick affiliateJR Motorsports. Overseeing the team's No. 9 car, he won championships in 2014, 2017, and 2018 withChase Elliott,William Byron, andTyler Reddick.[14][15] Prior to JRM, he was the spotter forRusty Wallace Racing's No. 64 team in 2006.[16]