Television producer and videographer Timothy Scott “Bubba” Barnes, whose career in motorsports spanned thirty years, passed away on Friday, March 21st, 2008, after battling cancer since 2007. He was forty-eight years old.
A longtime racing enthusiast, Barnes began his television career as a news cameraman with WCYB-TV in his hometown of Bristol, TN, and became a cameraman for ESPN’s drag racing coverage in 1985. He became one of the original employees of Masters Entertainment Group in Bristol and went on to produce and direct MEG television shows for a variety of networks including ESPN, ESPN2 and SPEED Channel.
Barnes was responsible for all facets of production for MEG’s weekly “Inside Drag Racing” series which covered hundreds of events from dozens of racing associations. He also produced the “Street Rodder” weekly series for ESPN and was the chief videographer for “NHRA Heat” and dozens of other shows. As chief videographer for MEG for the past decade, Barnes attended over one hundred events per season and covered a wide range of motorsports. He maintained relationships with thousands of individuals throughout the racing world including drivers, crew chiefs, constructors and officials throughout his career.
Barnes actively participated in sprint car racing and drag racing and was also a capable builder of street rods and Harley-Davidson motorcycles. His knowledge of all aspects of hot rodding was employed in his television productions and helped garner major attention for MEG television shows resulting in several industry awards.
Easily identifiable, “Bubba” Barnes enjoyed the friendship of many of racing’s biggest stars. “There was nobody who didn’t like Bubba”, said MEG President Ted Jones, “and everybody respected his opinion. He was an integral member of our company and, like the fans and racers who knew him, we will miss him tremendously”.
