Baker was born on January 25, 1941, in Florence, South Carolina, the son of two-time NASCAR champion Buck Baker. A high school athlete, Baker began racing in 1958 at age 17, and started his NASCAR career the following year. As a teenager, he idolized many of NASCAR’s top drivers, including his father and Fireball Roberts, and he studied them closely during his early NASCAR career.

Baker won his first race in 1967, winning the National 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. On March 24, 1970, he became the first driver ever to exceed 200 mph (320 km/h) on a closed course, accomplishing the feat while testing his blue Dodge Daytona. He became known for his skill at superspeedways; in his career, he won four races at Talladega and two at Daytona, including the 1980 Daytona 500. Baker’s victory in that race remains the fastest Daytona 500 in NASCAR history, posting an average speed of 177.602 mph (285.809 km/h).

Baker retired from NASCAR in 1992, finishing with 19 career victories. His 1,099 laps led at Talladega Superspeedway remain the track’s all-time career record.

In 1997, Baker was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in Talladega, Alabama, and the National Motorsports Press Association Hall of Fame. He was named one of NASCAR’s 50 Greatest Drivers in 1998.

After his retirement, Baker signed on as a racing analyst for The Nashville Network and CBS. In 2007, Baker became the part-time co-host of “The Driver’s Seat” with John Kernan on Sirius XM’s new NASCAR Radio channel. He later became a regular on “Tradin’ Paint” with Steve Post and co-host on “Late Shift” with Alex Hayden.

He was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2008, and the NASCAR Hall of Fame in January 2020.

On July 7, 2015, Baker announced his retirement from broadcasting, and revealed that he had been diagnosed with lung cancer. During his final broadcast, he told his audience, “Do not shed a tear. Give a smile when you say my name”.

Baker died on August 10, 2015, at his home in Catawba County, North Carolina. During the August 2015 race weekend at Michigan International Speedway, the drivers in all three NASCAR series placed stickers on their cars to honor Baker’s legacy.