Buddy Baker, NASCAR Legend - By: Richard Poulin

Buddy Baker was a NASCAR giant in his day and drove with verve and passion. Buddy had a legendary thirty six year career that started in 1959 and finished in 1994 at age fifty two. His career statistics are most impressive. Baker had 19 career victories in a total of 699 races . Add to this 43 runner-up finishes and 58 third-place finishes. His good friend Richard Petty was very certain that with any luck Buddy would have won 50 races. Baker's career winnings exceeded $ three,500,000 in an era when the purses were small by today's standards. At age 52 shortly after a head injury Baker retired.

Buddy Baker started his career at the side of his legendary father, Buck Baker. He was not an overnight success. In fact, his first win came in his ninth season. It was in a Ray Fox prepared Dodge in 1967 that he won his first race at Charlotte. After eight seasons Baker had begun wondering if he would ever win. His first victory came after more than 200 races.

You may say that nineteen wins in 699 starts is not that impressed. You may change your mind if you consider which races they were; he won four times at Charlotte, he had four first places at Talladega, then two more each at Darlington, Atlanta and Daytona and finally victories at Ontario, Michigan and Texas.

Baker's most note worthy season was 1980. In that year he won the Daytona 500 driving an Olds that was prepared by Waddell Wilson. Fans called that Olds the "Grey Ghost" because Baker drove it so fast it would seem to blend into the asphalt. His average speed for that 500 at Daytona was 177 mph, a record, a record that holds even today. Although he just had nineteen races that year he managed to finish in the top ten fully ten times in 1980.

The 1980 Winston 500 was Baker's most memorable race. He managed two losses a young Dale Earnhardt that year even though he had a 19 second shortfall to make up. He took the lead with just two laps to go. He earned the esteem of all other drivers at that Winston 500. They were all amazed at his skills at drafting behind leading cars passing them all to gain a victory that had seemed elusive. Baker was a modest champion. He later exclaimed that Dale would surely have won had he had more experience. In Baker's book Earnhardt is likely the best ever on an oval.

It was in 1989 at the Coca-Cola 600 that he was seriously injured to the head. A large blood clot developed and had to be removed surgically. From that point on he was never a serious contender again. He did recover and make 17 more starts but then retired for good after crashing in a qualifying lap in Atlanta. it's then that he concluded he no longer could compete with the best.

Baker still maintains ties to the sport as a consultant to Penske South Racing.

About the Author

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