Buddy Baker Exits SiriusXM NASCAR Radio After Lung Cancer Diagnosis

Baker

BUDDY BAKER, the NASCAR driver and 1980 DAYTONA 500 winner who became the co-host of SIRIUSXM NASCAR RADIO's "THE LATE SHIFT" in 2007, announced on TUESDAY night's show that he has been diagnosed with lung cancer and is leaving the radio show immediately.

NBC SPORTS' NASCAR TALK reports that BAKER told listeners, “For those who feel sorry, hey I’m 74 years old, have great friends, had a career. The toughest part for me is not being able to talk to some of our regulars that are almost like family. There comes a time when you talk to the doctor and say what are my chances and there’s a dead silence. I went how long. ‘Well, we don’t own the hotel, we don’t know when we check out. It’s something that we cannot fix' ... Do not shed a tear. Give a smile when you say my name. I’m not saying goodbye. Just talk to you later.”

BAKER won 19 races in the top tier of NASCAR (now the SPRINT CUP SERIES), in which he raced between 1959 and 1992.  He then became a television racing commentator for TNN and CBS before launching the satellite radio show.

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