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 Though
he stands 6 feet, 6 inches, Buddy Baker, nicknamed "Leadfoot," was
known for his record-setting speed during his 34-year Winston Cup career. The
son of racing legend Buck Baker, Buddy is generally regarded in stock car
circles as the fastest of all top drivers, using his awesome, up-tempo approach
to racing to attain speeds never before seen on the NASCAR circuit. At Talladega
in 1970, Buddy became the first driver to race over 200 mph on a closed course.
At the 1980 Daytona 500, Buddy took the checkered flag with an average speed of
177.6 mph, a record that still stands.
Along with his remarkable single race performances, Buddy enjoyed one of the
elite careers in the history of racing. He was the first driver to win the
racing's "Big Four": Daytona, Talladega, Darlington and Charlotte. In
fact, Buddy won at Talladega four times (twice in 1975, 1976, and 1980),
Charlotte four times (1967, 1968, 1972, and 1973), Darlington twice (1970 and
1971), and Daytona twice (1980 and 1983). In all, Buddy won 19 times during his
career on the NASCAR circuit, with 17 on major speedways. He ranks ninth on
NASCAR's all-time list for top-five finishes with 202 and top-10 finishes with
311 (out of 688 starts). Buddy also ranks tenth on the all-time list for pole
positions with 40. This extraordinary career culminated with Buddy's induction
into the Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway Court of Legends in 1995 and the
International Motorsports Hall of Fame in Talladega, Ala in 1997.
Since retiring from racing, Buddy has established himself as one of the
preeminent television commentators in the business while working for TNN
Motorsports. In 1997, he was inducted into the National Motorsports Press
Association's Hall of Fame at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway. With his brother and
father, Buddy runs the Buck Baker Racing School in Rockingham, North Carolina.
He also tests cars for the Penske Racing team and enjoys fishing and golf.
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