Doug Barnes Jr — Driver Profile
Car: No. 88B | Team: Barnes Racing | Manufacturer: Chevrolet Status: Full-time LMSC | Hometown: Whiteford, Maryland | Age: 29 | Nickname: AirDoug
Career Highlights
Doug Barnes Jr is a Late Model Stock veteran whose combination of on-track aggression and off-track personality has made him one of the most recognizable figures in Southeast short track racing — and one of the most polarizing.
Born December 19, 1996, Barnes grew up around racing through his father, Doug Barnes Sr., who fielded the family's Chevrolet when Barnes first entered the CARS Tour as a teenager in 2015. He returned to the series in 2019 before stepping away again, spending the intervening years building a reputation at Virginia and North Carolina weekly tracks while growing his YouTube channel, AirDoug, into one of the largest content platforms in short track racing.
Barnes won back-to-back track championships at Dominion Raceway in Virginia, establishing himself as one of the most consistent Late Model Stock regulars in the region. In 2023, he won the Icebreaker at Florence Motor Speedway and followed that with consecutive victories in the Dickie Bowell 200 at Dominion Raceway in 2023 and 2024. He also captured the Speed Week championship at Southern National Motorsports Park.
For 2025, Barnes joined Lee Pulliam Performance for a full-time CARS Tour campaign, driving the No. 88B Toyota. The partnership marked his first sustained run at the touring level since his initial appearances as a teenager. He finished eighth in the championship standings — his best CARS Tour result to date.
In 2026, Barnes returned to the family operation, fielding the No. 88B Chevrolet under the Barnes Racing banner. He was immediately fast, running among the leaders at the season-opening Southern National race before contact with Caden Kvapil on a late restart sent him into the wall. At Wake County Speedway, an on-track incident with Mini Tyrrell resulted in a one-race suspension for flagrant rough driving and retaliation. Barnes appealed the penalty to an independent panel — which included former NASCAR Cup Series race director David Hoots — and the committee amended the suspension, allowing him to compete at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway while keeping the season-long probation in place. He finished eighteenth at Nashville after missing the Thursday test and Friday practice sessions.
The 'AirDoug' nickname traces back to a notorious incident at Dominion Raceway in which Barnes climbed onto a competitor's car during an altercation, earning a NASCAR suspension and a $1,000 fine — and a viral moment that launched his media presence. His YouTube channel has grown to more than 64,000 subscribers, making him one of the most-followed active short track drivers in the country.