Birmingham businessman and philanthropist George Barber has passed away at the age of 85. The Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum announced his passing on Monday evening.
Barber’s name became synonymous with Barber Motorsports Park and the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum, but the origins of that legacy trace back to the family dairy business.
Barber’s Dairy, originally Barber Pure Milk Co., was founded in 1921 by Barber’s father and grew into one of the state’s most recognizable dairy operations.
George Barber takes control
After his father died in 1970, Barber took over the company. Under Barber’s leadership, the company thrived. Barber was sold to Dean Foods in 1998.
The sale allowed Barber to pursue his passions for motorsports and to give back to Birminghamians.
The Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum first opened in 1994 on Birmingham’s southside. It housed Barber’s private motorcycle collection that he began acquiring in 1981.
Barber expanded the museum in 2003 with the opening of the 880-acre Barber Motorsports Park near Leeds. The small original museum ultimately became a 230,000-square-foot, five-story facility overlooking the circuit.
Today, the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum houses well over 1,600 motorcycles, with hundreds of machines on display at any given time. A significant renovation and expansion were completed in 2017.
The park’s 2.3-mile, 17-turn race circuit layout was designed by noted road-course architect Alan Wilson, with Barber getting insights from racing champions and long-time friends John Surtees, Dan Gurney, and Carroll Shelby. Barber’s creation is one of North America’s best road courses.
Early racing events at Barber featured the AMA Superbike Championship. The circuit’s reputation steadily grew, eventually attracting major automotive series, including the IndyCar Series.
The IndyCar series conducted an unofficial test at Barber in 2007 and an official test in 2009. These tests offered an early glimpse of the track’s potential for open-wheel competition and proved the area would support America’s top open-wheel series.
Those tests culminated in 2010, when Barber Motorsports Park hosted its first IndyCar race. Over the years, the event has become one of the NTT IndyCar Series’ most successful and visually distinctive stops.
Race weekends often revealed Barber’s hands-on nature. One moment, he was hosting leaders of the motorsports world; the next, he might be spotted sweeping, gathering trash, chatting with fans, or taking selfies.
A tribute to a popular figure
“Mr. Barber gave all of us in motorsports a place to call home,” said racer, photographer, and volunteer Scottie Elkins. “Barber Motorsports Park isn’t just a racetrack to us. It is where I’ve built my photography business, my family, and countless memories. His vision created opportunities for small businesses like ours to grow in the sport we love, and I will always be grateful for that.”
Barber’s handprints on the facility extended well beyond racing and motorcycles. The park itself became known for Barber’s eclectic artistic taste, with sculptures and art placed throughout the grounds. The stunning beauty of Barber Motorsports Park has given the facility the nickname “the Augusta of race tracks.”
Beyond motorsports, Barber’s civic impact proved equally enduring. Through the Barber Foundation, he supported numerous educational, cultural, and medical initiatives throughout Alabama, leaving an imprint far beyond the track.
