Wallace crewman hurt in motorcycle crash

ROCKINGHAM, N.C. -- Rusty Wallace will be without his regular spotter this weekend at North Carolina Speedway.

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Earl Barban, who handles mechanical and chief spotter duties for the No. 2 Miller Lite Ford team, was injured in a motorcycle accident en route to the track on Thursday night. He broke three ribs, punctured a lung, lacerated his spleen and had various cuts and bruises.

"It was around 8 p.m. and I was on my motorcycle going through Ellerbe (N.C.)," Barban said from his hospital room. "I always take the back way to the track and I just came up to a corner too and fast and couldn't get it turned.

"I ended up in a ditch, but there was a car with a camper driving behind me and the guy stopped and stayed with me. He's camping at the track this weekend. He didn't have a cell phone, so he stopped the next car that came along and asked them to call 911.

"All I can say is I'm pretty lucky. I could have been much, much worse."

Barban is one of the original members of the No. 2 Ford team when Penske formed it in 1991. For Wallace, this will be one of the first times he will have to do without his "eyes in the sky" as he negotiates traffic on the racetrack.

"This the first time we won't have Earl with us that I can ever remember," Wallace said. "I always worried about those boys riding their motorcycles as much as they do. I mean, riding around the country occasionally is one thing.

"But, those guys will put their wet suits on and ride in the rain on a two-lane highway. Evidently, Earl busted his butt last night on one of those things.

"We're going to go see him a little later on. But, we're going to be without him for three or four weeks."

Barban was transported to Richmond Memorial Hospital in Rockingham following the accident and is scheduled to be there until at least Saturday night.

So, who is Wallace going to entrust as his secondary pair of eyes? He looked within his family to take over for Barban.

"My son, Greg, is going to do it," Wallace said. "He comes home tonight (Friday) from an internship in New York from school. He's been doing some spotting, so I'm going to have him do the deal.

"I haven't had the chance to call and tell him yet. But, I'm going to call him here in a little bit.

"He'll love it because we pay him for doing it, too."