Stanton Barrett
A daredevil who traded paint in NASCAR on weekends and crashed cars for Hollywood blockbusters during the week.
Born 1972 (age 54)·American racing driver and stuntman·Birthday: December 1·Generation X
Biography
Stanton Barrett lives life at the intersection of high-speed danger and calculated risk. Hailing from a family of stunt performers, the track and the film set were both natural habitats. He climbed the NASCAR ranks not with a billionaire's backing, but through grit, fielding his own underfunded teams and scraping into races on sheer determination, earning respect for his raw bravery behind the wheel. Simultaneously, he built a formidable Hollywood resume, coordinating and performing stunts for major films like 'The Amazing Spider-Man 2' and 'Logan,' where his understanding of physics and consequence was literal. This dual life wasn't just a gimmick; each profession informed the other, with a racer's precision aiding a stuntman's timing and a stuntman's fearlessness sharpening a racer's edge. Barrett embodies the pure, hands-on thrill-seeker, a self-made man in two of the world's most dangerous playgrounds.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Stanton was born in 1972, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Stanton Was Born
The biggest hits of 1972
#1 Movie
The Godfather
Best Picture
The Godfather
#1 TV Show
All in the Family
Stanton's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1972Born
Watergate break-in; last Apollo Moon mission
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $19,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" — Roberta FlackBest Picture: The Godfather
1977Started school
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1985Became a teenager
Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine
Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
1988Could drive
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1990Could vote
Hubble Space Telescope launched; Germany reunifies
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.80/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Hold On" — Wilson PhillipsBest Picture: Dances with Wolves
1993Turned 21
European Union officially established
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $86,600Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"I Will Always Love You" — Whitney HoustonBest Picture: Schindler's List
2002Turned 30
Euro currency enters circulation
Gas: $1.36/galHome: $137,800Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"How You Remind Me" — NickelbackBest Picture: Chicago
2012Turned 40
Curiosity rover lands on Mars; Sandy Hook shooting
Gas: $3.64/galHome: $143,200Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Somebody That I Used to Know" — GotyeBest Picture: Argo
2022Turned 50
Russia invades Ukraine; Queen Elizabeth II dies
Gas: $3.97/galHome: $348,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"As It Was" — Harry StylesBest Picture: Everything Everywhere All at Once
2026Age 54 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Made over 100 combined starts in NASCAR's Cup and Xfinity Series, often as an owner-driver.
- Founded Barrett–Cope Racing, a team that competed in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.
- Worked as a stunt performer and coordinator on major films including the 'X-Men' franchise and 'Iron Man 2'.
- Competed professionally in open-wheel racing series like Toyota Atlantic before moving to stock cars.
Did You Know?
He comes from a famous stunt family; his father, Stan Barrett, was a stuntman and the first person claimed to break the sound barrier in a land vehicle.
He performed the high-fall stunt for Dane DeHaan's Green Goblin in 'The Amazing Spider-Man 2'.
He once qualified for the prestigious Indianapolis 500 but failed to secure enough funding to actually race.
He is a licensed pilot.
“You learn to trust your instincts when the wall is coming at you fast.”
