Elzie Wylie “Buddy” Baker Jr., (1941-2015) was a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver from 1959 to 1992. He was the son of “Buck” Baker, NASCAR Hall of Fame Inductee. Baker was also a member of the NASCAR Media. He mentored many of the drivers racing today in NASCAR, including Ryan Newman. He is on the NASCAR Hall of Fame nomination list for the class of 2017.
Baker competed in 699 races over his 33-year career. He won 19 races, including the Daytona 500. Baker won 38 poles throughout his career. Baker won the 1980 Daytona 500, a race that had the average race speed of 177.602 mph. Baker became the first driver to win the Coke 600 (then World 600) back to back in 1972 and 1973. Baker became the first driver to ellipse 200 mph at Talladega Superspeedway on a closed course in 1980. Baker is named as one of NASCAR’s 50 Greatest Drivers.
Baker raced for many teams. He started out racing for his father. He then moved on to race with Ray Fox, Cotton Owens, Richard Petty, Nord Krauskopf, Bud Moore, Harry Rainer, the Wood Brothers, and Danny Schiff.
When he retired in 1992, Baker made the seamless transition from race car driver to television analyst. He started with The Nashville Network, and then moved to CBS. In 2007, he joined SiriusXM NASCAR Radio as a co-host of The Late Shift and Tradin’ Paint.
In July 2015, Baker announced that he was suffering from inoperable lung cancer. Doctors noticed the real cause of Baker’s problems during a rotator-cuff surgery in November 2014. Baker described that moment on SiriusXM, the day he announced his departure from the channel, “As they started to really get inside me, the problems, the pain was getting worse and worse and worse,” Baker said. “They went, ‘Wait a minute, what is this on the righthand side here?’ And they said, ‘My God, it’s a huge tumor’ in my lung.” Baker passed away on August 10, 2015.
“Buddy was always wide open and that’s the way he raced and lived his life. He was always full of energy. He was a person you wanted to be around because he always made you feel better. He raced with us, shared his stories with us and became our friend. Buddy loved the sport and he made a lasting impression on the sport on the track, in the television booth and on the radio,” said Richard Petty on the day of Buddy’s passing.
NASCAR Vice President and Chief Executive Officer, Brian France, said this about Baker: “Many of today’s fans may know Buddy Baker as one of the greatest storytellers in the sport’s history, a unique skill that endeared him to millions. But those who witnessed his racing talent recognized Buddy as a fast and fierce competitor, setting speed records and winning on NASCAR’s biggest stages.
On his final broadcast with SiriusXM, Baker said, “”I think I retired five different times,” Baker told listeners. “Why? Because you build this trust and love for a sport that I don’t care what anybody tells you, there is no other form of auto racing in the world that can entertain and bring the stars that we have in our sport. And to have a long career like I’ve had, do not shed a tear. Give a smile when you say my name.”
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