Buddy Baker facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Buddy Baker |
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Baker in his car, 1970
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| Born | Elzie Wylie Baker, Jr. January 25, 1941 Florence, South Carolina, U.S. |
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| Died | August 10, 2015 (aged 74) Lake Norman of Catawba, North Carolina, U.S. |
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| Achievements | 1980 Daytona 500 Winner 1970 Southern 500 Winner 1968, 1972, 1973 World 600 Winner 1975, 1976, 1980 Winston 500 Winner 1979 Busch Clash Winner |
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| Awards | International Motorsports Hall of Fame (1995) Charlotte Motor Speedway Court of Legends (1995) National Motorsports Press Association Hall of Fame (1997) Named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers (1998) NASCAR Hall of Fame (2020) Named one of NASCAR's 75 Greatest Drivers (2023) |
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| NASCAR Cup Series career | |||||||
| 700 races run over 33 years | |||||||
| Best finish | 5th (1977) | ||||||
| First race | 1959 untitled race (Columbia) | ||||||
| Last race | 1992 Winston 500 (Talladega) | ||||||
| First win | 1967 National 500 (Charlotte) | ||||||
| Last win | 1983 Firecracker 400 (Daytona) | ||||||
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| NASCAR Grand National East Series career | |||||||
| 8 races run over 2 years | |||||||
| Best finish | 15th (1973) | ||||||
| First race | 1972 Sandlapper 200 (Columbia) | ||||||
| Last race | 1973 Buddy Shuman 100 (Hickory) | ||||||
| First win | 1972 Sandlapper 200 (Columbia) | ||||||
| Last win | 1973 Sunoco 260 (Hickory) | ||||||
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| Statistics current as of December 18, 2012. | |||||||
Elzie Wylie "Buddy" Baker Jr. (January 25, 1941 – August 10, 2015) was a famous American stock car racing driver and TV commentator. He raced for 33 years in the NASCAR Cup Series. During his career, he won 19 races, including the big 1980 Daytona 500. People called him the "Gentle Giant" because he was tall but kind. Buddy was especially good at racing on NASCAR's fastest tracks, like Daytona and Talladega. He won six races there! After he stopped racing, he became a popular voice on TV and radio.
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Buddy Baker's Early Life
Buddy Baker was born on January 25, 1941, in Florence, South Carolina. His dad, Buck Baker, was also a NASCAR champion, winning twice! Buddy was a good athlete in high school. He started racing cars in 1958 when he was just 17. His NASCAR career began the very next year. As a teenager, he looked up to top drivers like his father and Fireball Roberts. He learned a lot from watching them closely.
Buddy Baker's Racing Career Highlights
Buddy Baker won his first big race in 1967. It was the National 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. On March 24, 1970, he made history. He was the first driver to go faster than 200 miles per hour (320 km/h) on a closed race track. He did this while testing a special 1969 Dodge Daytona car. That car was the only one to reach 200 mph that year.
Buddy became known for being amazing on NASCAR's fastest tracks, called superspeedways. He won four races at Talladega and two at Daytona. One of his biggest wins was the 1980 Daytona 500. This race is still the fastest Daytona 500 ever! Buddy's average speed was 177.602 mph (285.809 km/h).
He is one of only nine drivers to achieve a "Career Grand Slam." This means winning NASCAR's four most important races:
- The Daytona 500
- The Aaron's 499
- The Coca-Cola 600
- The Southern 500
Buddy Baker raced part-time for most of his career. He only competed in three full seasons. From 1985 to 1989, he even helped own his own race car. He also helped run the Buck Baker Racing School with his brother. Buddy retired from NASCAR in 1992. He finished with 19 career wins. He still holds the record for leading the most laps at Talladega Superspeedway, with 1,099 laps led!
Buddy Baker's Life After Racing
After retiring from racing, Buddy Baker became a TV commentator. He started working for The Nashville Network in 1991. Later, he joined TBS and CBS in 1996. As a commentator, he helped describe some of NASCAR's most exciting moments. These included Dale Earnhardt's only Daytona 500 win. He also covered the first night race at Daytona in Prime Time. He stayed with these networks until 2001.
In 2007, Buddy became a radio host on Sirius XM's NASCAR Radio. He co-hosted shows like "The Driver's Seat" and "Tradin' Paint." On July 7, 2015, Buddy announced he was retiring from broadcasting. He shared that he had lung cancer. In his last broadcast, he told his fans, "Do not shed a tear. Give a smile when you say my name."
Buddy Baker passed away on August 10, 2015, at his home in North Carolina. During the NASCAR races that month, drivers put special stickers on their cars. This was to honor Buddy's amazing life and career.
Buddy Baker's Awards and Honors
Buddy Baker received many honors for his contributions to racing:
- In 1997, he was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame.
- He was also inducted into the National Motorsports Press Association Hall of Fame that same year.
- In 1998, he was named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers.
- He joined the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2008.
- In January 2020, he was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
Images for kids
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A replica of Buddy Baker's 1969 Dodge Daytona race car.
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Buddy Baker driving at Pocono Raceway in 1985.
