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| Buddy Baker | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Baker in his car, 1970 | |||||||
| Born | Elzie Wylie Baker, Jr. (1941-01-25)January 25, 1941 Florence, South Carolina, U.S. | ||||||
| Died | August 10, 2015(2015-08-10) (aged 74) Lake Norman of Catawba, North Carolina, U.S. | ||||||
| Cause of death | Lung Cancer | ||||||
| Achievements | 1980 Daytona 500 Winner 1970Southern 500 Winner 1968,1972,1973World 600 Winner 1975,1976,1980Winston 500 Winner 1979Busch Clash Winner | ||||||
| Awards | International Motorsports Hall of Fame (1995) Charlotte Motor Speedway Court of Legends (1995) National Motorsports Press Association Hall of Fame (1997) Named one ofNASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers (1998) NASCAR Hall of Fame (2020) Named one ofNASCAR's 75 Greatest Drivers (2023) | ||||||
| NASCARCup Series career | |||||||
| 700 races run over 33 years | |||||||
| Best finish | 5th (1977) | ||||||
| First race | 1959 untitled race (Columbia) | ||||||
| Last race | 1992Winston 500 (Talladega) | ||||||
| First win | 1967 National 500 (Charlotte) | ||||||
| Last win | 1983Firecracker 400 (Daytona) | ||||||
| |||||||
| NASCARGrand National East Series career | |||||||
| 8 races run over 2 years | |||||||
| Best finish | 15th (1973) | ||||||
| First race | 1972Sandlapper 200 (Columbia) | ||||||
| Last race | 1973 Buddy Shuman 100 (Hickory) | ||||||
| First win | 1972Sandlapper 200 (Columbia) | ||||||
| Last win | 1973 Sunoco 260 (Hickory) | ||||||
| |||||||
| Statistics up to date as of December 18, 2012. | |||||||
Elzie Wylie "Buddy"Baker Jr. (January 25, 1941 – August 10, 2015) was an American professionalstock car racing driver and commentator. Over the course of his 33-year racing career, he won 19 races in theNASCARCup Series, including the1980 Daytona 500. Known by the nickname "Gentle Giant", Baker was noted for his prowess at NASCAR's superspeedways,Daytona andTalladega, at which he won a combined six races. After his racing career, he worked as a broadcaster and co-hosted a number of radio shows onSirius XM.

Baker was born on January 25, 1941, inFlorence, South Carolina, the son of two-time NASCAR championBuck Baker. A high school athlete, Baker began racing in 1958 at the age of seventeen, and started his NASCAR career the following year. As a teenager, he idolized many of NASCAR's top drivers, including his father andFireball Roberts, and he studied them closely during his early NASCAR career.[1]
Baker won his first race in 1967, winning theNational 500 atCharlotte Motor Speedway. On March 24, 1970, he became the first driver ever to exceed 200 mph (320 km/h) on a closed course, accomplishing the feat while testing the Chrysler Engineering No. 88 blue 1969 Dodge Daytona, also known as DC-93. That car was the only one to exceed 200 in 1970. He became known for his skill at superspeedways; in his career, he won four races at Talladega and two at Daytona, including the1980 Daytona 500. Baker's victory in that race remains the fastestDaytona 500 in NASCAR history, posting an average speed of 177.602 mph (285.809 km/h).

He is one of nine drivers to have accomplished a Career Grand Slam, a feat which involves winning NASCAR's four most prestigious races: the Daytona 500,Jack Link's 500,Coca-Cola 600, andSouthern 500. The only other drivers to have accomplished this feat areRichard Petty,David Pearson,Bobby Allison,Darrell Waltrip,Dale Earnhardt,Jeff Gordon,Jimmie Johnson,Kevin Harvick, andDenny Hamlin. Of the ten, Baker is one of two to have never won a Cup Series championship. He generally raced part-time, having only raced three full seasons, and co-owned his car from 1985 to 1989. He competed in twoInternational Race of Champions series,IROC IV andIROC VII, and helped run theBuck Baker Racing School with his brother for a number of years.
Baker retired from NASCAR in 1994, finishing with nineteen career victories. His 1,099 laps led at Talladega Superspeedway remain the track's all-time career record.
After his retirement, Baker became a television broadcaster, acting as an analyst initially forThe Nashville Network beginning in 1991, and later forTBS andCBS beginning in 1996. As a commentator, he helped call some of the most legendary moments in NASCAR history, including thefirst Winston All-Star Race held at night, the last 500-mile race atDover in 1997, Dale Earnhardt's onlyDaytona 500 win, and thefirst race at Daytona to be held under the lights in Prime Time. He remained with all three networks until the new consolidated television package took effect beginning with the 2001 season, after which he stepped away from the broadcasting booth.
In 2007, Baker became the part-time co-host of "The Driver's Seat" with John Kernan onSirius XM's new NASCAR Radio channel. He later became a regular on "Tradin' Paint" with Steve Post and co-host on "Late Shift" with Alex Hayden.[2]
On July 7, 2015, Baker announced his retirement from broadcasting, and revealed that he had been diagnosed withlung cancer. During his final broadcast, he told his audience, "Do not shed a tear. Give a smile when you say my name".[3]
Baker died on August 10, 2015, at his home inCatawba County, North Carolina.[4][5] During the August 2015 race weekend at Michigan International Speedway, the drivers in all three NASCAR series placed stickers on their cars to honor Baker's legacy.
In 1997, Baker was inducted into theInternational Motorsports Hall of Fame inTalladega, Alabama, and the National Motorsports Press Association Hall of Fame. He was named one ofNASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers in 1998.
He was inducted into theMotorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2008, and theNASCAR Hall of Fame in January 2020.[6]
(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time.Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)
(key) (Bold – Pole position. * – Most laps led.)
| International Race of Champions results | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Make | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Pos. | Pts | Ref |
| 1976–77 | Chevy | MCH 1 | RSD 6 | RSD 8 | DAY 8 | 5th | NA | [42] | |||
| 1979–80 | Chevy | MCH 4 | MCH | RSD | RSD 8 | ATL 9 | 10th | 14 | [43] | ||
| Achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Daytona 500 Winner 1980 | Succeeded by |