On July 7, 2015, during his stint on Sirius XM’s NASCAR Radio channel, Buddy Baker told the listening audience that effective immediately, he was leaving the channel. He had been told by doctors that he had an inoperable tumor in his right lung, and in his final address to listeners everywhere, he told them, ““Do not shed a tear. Give a smile when you say my name. I’m not saying goodbye. Just talk to you later.” Sadly, Baker passed away in the early morning hours of August 10th, 2015. He was 74 years old.

Elzie Wylie Baker, Jr. was born in Florence, South Carolina on January 25, 1941, the son of racer Buck Baker and brother of Randy Baker. In 1959, at the age of 18, Buddy first got behind the wheel of a race car, and took 14th out of a 21-car field. By the time he climbed out of a race car for good in 1992, Baker had amassed around 700 starts in thirty-three years of racing and had earned himself two nicknames: “The Gentle Giant”, due to the six-foot-six Baker’s easygoing and friendly demeanor, and “Leadfoot”, for his foot-through-the-floor driving style that seemed to be tuned for the superspeedways, which culminated in two milestones: his 200.447 MPH lap in a NASCAR Charger Daytona in 1970 at Talladega, making him the first to break the 200 MPH barrier; and his victory in the 1980 Daytona 500, which still stands as the fastest Daytona 500 ever ran with an average speed of 177.602 MPH. He hung up his racing helmet for good in 1992.

In 1991, Baker started to make his transition to an announcer,working for TNN, World Sports Enterprises, CBS and Sirius XM. His ability to tell a story set the stage for a successful second career, one that Baker would take all the way until the end, during his farewell as he explained about how the doctors informed him about his tumor. His words were of a man who understood his fate and instead of being gutted, understood that he had been blessed in life. Buddy wasn’t clamoring for more time, but instead was grateful for the time he had enjoyed, time that he had used to make friends, accomplish goals, and entertain millions while simply enjoying life. He also knew, and accepted, that everything must end, and he’d rather do it with a proper farewell.

From all of us at BangShift.com, our condolences to the Baker family and everyone that knew Buddy in life. His last words for the audience were a final tip of his hat to his fans everywhere, and a showcase of the genuine character of the man: “I just want to say goodbye to everyone. Thanks for being a friend.”