15 Facts About Buddy Baker

Buddy Baker was born on January 25,1941, in Florence, South Carolina, the son of two-time NASCAR champion Buck Buddy Baker.

Buddy Baker won his first race in 1967, winning the National 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Buddy Baker 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.

Buddy Baker 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.

Buddy Baker generally raced part-time, having only raced three full seasons, and co-owned his car from 1985 to 1989.

Buddy Baker 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.

Buddy Baker retired from NASCAR in 1992, finishing with 19 career victories.

Buddy Baker remained with all 3 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, Buddy Baker became the part-time co-host of "The Driver's Seat" with John Kernan on Sirius XM's new NASCAR Radio channel.

Buddy Baker later became a regular on "Tradin' Paint" with Steve Post and co-host on "Late Shift" with Alex Hayden.

On July 7,2015, Buddy Baker announced his retirement from broadcasting, and revealed that he had been diagnosed with lung cancer.

Buddy Baker died on August 10,2015, at his home in Catawba County, North Carolina.

In 1997, Buddy Baker was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in Talladega, Alabama, and the National Motorsports Press Association Hall of Fame.

Buddy Baker was named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers in 1998.

Buddy Baker was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2008, and the NASCAR Hall of Fame in January 2020.