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Buddy Baker, NASCAR’s “Gentle Giant”, dies at 74 of cancer
Baker followed in the footsteps of his father, two-time champion Buck Baker, who was inducted in NASCAR’s Hall of Fame in 2013. Baker declared he could be instantly making the community and had lung cancer September 7.
A towering presence both on and off the track, Elzie Wylie Baker, Jr. will be remembered and missed by many.
Baker, a Charlotte, N.C., native, won 19 races in the Sprint Cup Series, including the 1980 Daytona 500. I am not saying goodbye.
Many of todays fans may know Buddy Baker as one of the greatest storytellers in the sports history, a unique skill that endeared him to millions, NASCAR chairman and CEO Brian France said.
“There comes a time when you talk to the doctor and say what are my chances and there’s dead silence…”
Baker co-hosted a radio show two nights a week on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
ESPN is reporting NASCAR legend Buddy Baker has died this morning from lung cancer. He won, over the course of his career, the Daytona 500, the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte, the Aaron’s 499 at Talladega, and the Southern 500 in Darlington. Upon his retirement, Baker helped run the Buck Baker Racing Faculty in Rockingham. Monday Waltrip talked about his last conversation with Baker. Although he didn’t win at the 2.66-mile superspeedway that year, Baker visited Talladega’s Victory Lane four times throughout his stellar career.
“In any case, the individuals who saw his hustling ability perceived Pal as a quick and wild contender, setting velocity records and winning on NASCAR’s greatest stages”. He was always full of energy, Hall of Fame driver Richard Petty said. Following the news that his illness was terminal, the popular Baker did not want anyone to feel sorry for him. “I think that’s why he told such wonderful stories – because he loved people who loved NASCAR“. And as NASCAR’s popularity skyrocketed throughout the 1980s and 90s, Baker became one of its most recognizable voices calling races for The Nashville Network and CBS. “Thanks for being a friend”, Baker said before signing off.
