Barker grew up just next door to the famous South Boston Speedway, yet instead of dreaming about racing like so many youth in the area, he was a fan of "stick and ball" sports. He played football as a linebacker and loved the thrill of competition. He was paralyzed from the waist down after suffering injuries in a car accident while a senior in high school (South Boston, Virginia). Barker went off to college to study engineering and his focus was quickly redirected to the very technical and competitive field of motorsports. Barker graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering from Old Dominion University, in Norfolk, Virginia, in the year of 1994.