Buddy Baker reveals lung cancer diagnosis

Last November, Baker was treated for what he thought was a rotator cuff injury. During an operation on his shoulder, doctors realized the true cause of his pain.

“As they started to really get inside me, the problems, the pain was getting worse and worse and worse,” Baker said. “They went, ‘Wait a minute, what is this on the righthand side here?’ And they said, ‘My God, it’s a huge tumor’ in my lung.”

Known as the “Gentle Giant” at 6 feet, 6 inches tall, the towering figure on and off the track joined co-host Brad Gillie to deliver the news to his listeners and express his gratitude for their love and support.

“Basically I started then realizing what a blessed person I’ve been as far as being able to be with my family, which is the racing family,” Baker said. “Watch three or four generations of drivers and compete against at least three of them myself. And the great friends I’ve made through Sirius.”

Blessed with a gift for storytelling, Baker spun a tale about the conversation he had with his doctor about the prognosis for his inoperable cancer.

“But there comes a time, just like in my racing career, there comes a time when you talk to the doctor, and you say, ‘What are my chances?'”

“There’s a dead silence.”

“‘How long?'”

“‘Well, we don’t own the hotel so we don’t know when you check out, but it’s something that we cannot fix.'”

The 74-year-old broadcaster said he couldn’t continue to produce the high quality of work required of a SiriusXM NASCAR Radio host — using a analogy coined by a NASCAR Hall of Famer — but he’ll continue to live his life away from the microphone and be a fan of the network.

“What you hear right now, it’s kind of like Bobby Allison said one day,” Baker said. “He started out as an 8 cylinder, and I’m a 6 cylinder now. Well, I’m about a 4 1/2 cylinder. By golly, what I have left works.”

Son of NASCAR Hall of Famer Buck Baker, “Leadfoot” was at his best in the big races. Of his 19 wins in 699 starts in NASCAR’s premier series from 1959 to 1992, he captured the 1970 Southern 500, 1980 Daytona 500 and back-to-back World 600s in 1972 and 1973. He became the first driver to break the 200 mph barrier on a closed course while testing at Talladega Superspeedway in 1970. In 1998, NASCAR recognized Baker as one of the sport’s 50 greatest drivers.

The 1972 World 600 win came during a two-year stint where he drove for Petty Enterprises. The Petty family issued a statement on Wednesday that read: “Buddy has been a part of the NASCAR family for a long, long time, and he’s also a part of our family. He raced with us, shared his stories with us and became our friend. Our thoughts and prayers are with Buddy and his family at this time.”

Moving from the cockpit to the TV booth, Baker served as a commentator for The Nashville Network and CBS before joining SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. He compared leaving broadcasting to retiring from racing.

“I think I retired five different times,” Baker said. “Why? Because you build this trust and love for a sport that I don’t care what anybody tells you, there is no other form of auto racing in the world that can entertain and bring the stars that we have in our sport.

“And to have a long career like I’ve had, do not shed a tear. Give a smile when you say my name.”