Buddy Baker
| Buddy Baker | |||||||
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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) Catawba County, 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 | 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) |
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| Monster Energy 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 an American NASCAR driver and sports commentator.
Elzie Wylie Baker, Jr. 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 No. 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.)
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 is one of nine 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, Jimmie Johnson, and Kevin Harvick are the other eight 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.
Baker helped run the Buck Baker Racing School with his brother for a number of years.
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 was broken later that year by Bobby Isaac. It was recently found out that the Isaac car had two four barrel carbs on it, therefore that run was not done in a legal car.
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