Elzie Wylie "Buddy" Baker, Jr. was an American professional stock car racing driver and commentator. Over the course of his 33-year racing career, he won 19 races in the NASCAR Cup Series, including the 1980 Daytona 500. Known by the nickname "Gentle Giant," Baker was noted for his prowess at NASCAR's superspeedways, Daytona and Talladega, 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 on Sirius XM.
Baker won his first race in 1967, winning the National 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. On March 24, 1970, he became the first driver ever to exceed 200 mph on a closed course, accomplishing the feat while testing his blue Dodge Daytona. He became known for his skill at superspeedways; in his career, he won four races at Talladega and two at Daytona, including the 1980 Daytona 500. Baker's victory in that race remains the fastest Daytona 500 in NASCAR history, posting an average speed of 177.602 mph. in 1985 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, Aaron's 499, Coca-Cola 600, and Southern 500. The only other drivers to have accomplished this feat are Richard Petty, David Pearson, Bobby Allison, Darrell Waltrip, Dale Earnhardt, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, and Kevin Harvick. Of the nine, Baker is the only driver never to have won a championship. He generally raced part-time, having only raced three full seasons, and co-owned his car from 1985 to 1989. He competed in two International Race of Champions series, IROC IV and IROC VII, and helped run the Buck Baker Racing School with his brother for a number of years. Baker retired from NASCAR in 1992, finishing with 19 career victories. His 1,099 laps led at Talladega Superspeedway remain the track's all-time career record.
Broadcasting career and later life
After his retirement, Baker signed on as a racing analyst for The Nashville Network and CBS. In 2007, Baker became the part-time co-host of "The Driver's Seat" with John Kernan on Sirius 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. On July 7, 2015, Baker announced his retirement from broadcasting, and revealed that he had been diagnosed with lung cancer. During his final broadcast, he told his audience, "Do not shed a tear. Give a smile when you say my name". Baker died on August 10, 2015, at his home in Catawba County, North Carolina. 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.
