Buddy Baker

For other people named Buddy Baker, see Buddy Baker (disambiguation).

Elzie Wylie Baker, Jr.
Born	(1941-01-25) January 25, 1941 Florence, South Carolina, United States
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
Awards	Named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers (1998) International Motorsports Hall of Fame inductee (1995) National Motorsports Press Association Hall of Fame inductee (1997) Charlotte Motor Speedway Court of Legends inductee (1995)
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career
700 race(s) run over 33 year(s)
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)
Wins Top tens Poles 19 311 38
NASCAR Grand National East Series career
8 race(s) run over 2 year(s)
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)
Wins Top tens Poles 4 7 2
Statistics current as of December 18, 2012.

Elzie Wylie Baker, Jr. (born January 25, 1941 in Florence, South Carolina), nicknamed "Leadfoot" or more famously Buddy, is a former American NASCAR racecar driver.

Early life

Replica of Baker's 1969 Dodge Daytona

Buddy Baker was born in Florence, South Carolina, the son of two time winner of the NASCAR Championship and a Hall of Fame member Buck Baker and brother of fellow racer Randy Baker. Baker began his NASCAR career in 1959. In 1970, he became the first driver to ever exceed 200 mph (320 km/h) on a closed course. This World Record feat was accomplished in the Chrysler Engineering blue #88 Charger Daytona, which is being restored in Detroit. The same year, with a victory at the Southern 500, he became the first NASCAR driver to win the same race at the same venue as his father. (Buck did it in 1953.)

Career

During his career, Baker won nineteen races including the 1980 Daytona 500, NASCAR's most prestigious race. His victory remains the fastest Daytona 500 ever run, with an average speed of 177.602 mph (285.809 km/h).

Baker driving at Pocono Raceway in 1985

Baker is one of eight drivers to have won a Career Grand Slam, by winning the sport's four majors – the Daytona 500, Aaron's 499, Coca-Cola 600, and the Southern 500.; Richard Petty, David Pearson, Bobby Allison, Darrell Waltrip, Dale Earnhardt, Jeff Gordon, and Jimmie Johnson are the other seven to have accomplished the feat. He is the only one of the eight to not win the championship.

He generally raced part-time, competing in every race in only three seasons. He owned a car with Danny Schiff from 1985 to 1989, and was instrumental in the career of Jimmy Spencer. He competed in two International Race of Champions series. His final race in NASCAR was in 1992.

Buddy currently helps run the Buck Baker Racing School with his brother. Buddy Baker was the first driver to exceed the 200 mph mark on March 24, 1970 on a closed course test run. His speed was clocked at 200.447 miles per hour (322.588 km/h); a record that stood for 13 years. That record was finally broken by the late Benny Parsons.

Commentator

From 1991 until 2000, he became a television commentator on The Nashville Network and later (1994–2000) races produced by their World Sports Enterprises division, including CBS races. After the 2000 season Baker could still be heard on TNN, calling the American Speed Association races in 2001 and 2002 with Bob Dillner (their final race call was for the 2002 Winchester 400). During 2007, Buddy could be heard as the part-time co-host of The Driver's Seat with John Kernan on Sirius Satellite Radio's NASCAR channel 128. As of 2011, Buddy now the co-hosts Late Shift along with Jim Noble on SiriusXM's channel 90.

Awards

In 1997, Buddy Baker joined his father as an inductee in the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in Talladega, Alabama. He was inducted into the Charlotte Motor Speedway Court of Legends in 1995, and into the National Motorsports Press Association Hall of Fame inductee in 1997. He was named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers in 1998.

Daytona 500 Results

Year	Manufacturer	Start	Finish	Team
1961	Chrysler	28	40	Buck Baker
1962	Chrysler	15	29	Buck Baker
1964	Plymouth	42	29	David Walker
1965	Dodge	18	40	Buck Baker
1966	Chevrolet	36	32	Buck Baker
1967	Dodge	9	28	Fox
1968	Dodge	13	30	Fox
1969	Dodge	1	5	Fox
1970	Dodge	2	27	Owens
1971	Dodge	6	2	Petty
1972	Dodge	31	34	Petty
1973	Dodge	1	6	Krauskopf
1975	Ford	13	20	Moore
1976	Ford	5	33	Moore
1977	Ford	8	3	Moore
1978	Oldsmobile	31	7	Anderson
1979	Oldsmobile	1	40	Ranier
1980	Oldsmobile	1	1	Ranier
1981	Oldsmobile	6	4	Ellington
1982	Buick	4	8	Ellington
1983	Ford	5	3	Wood
1984	Ford	5	38	Wood
1985	Oldsmobile	7	4	Baker/Schiff
1986	Oldsmobile	17	26	Baker/Schiff
1987	Oldsmobile	7	4	Baker/Schiff
1988	Oldsmobile	18	9	Baker/Schiff
1991	Pontiac	16	37	Osterlund
1992	Oldsmobile	24	11	Derick Close
1994	Ford	DNQ		Moroso

External links

• Official site
• The Inside Groove.com – Historical Nascar Image Gallery
• Driver stats at racing-reference.info

Actual footage of Buddy Baker setting the 200 mph world record in the #88 Chrysler Engineering Charger Daytona.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdwhM5xB-8Y

• [1]

Preceded by Richard Petty

Daytona 500 Winner 1980

Succeeded by Richard Petty