SiriusXM's Buddy Baker Signs-Off

Buddy Baker

NASCAR Hall of Fame nominee Buddy Baker, a longtime favorite of race fans, announced Tuesday night that he has inoperable lung cancer and is leaving his role as a co-host on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, effective immediately.

Baker, 74, made the announcement to open what he said will be his final appearance on “The Late Shift.”

“There comes a time when you talk to the doctor and say what are my chances and there’s 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,’ ” Baker said.

“Everything has a start and an ending and mine has been overwhelming.”

The Charlotte Observer reports Baker, a Charlotte native, won 19 races and 38 poles in what is now called the Sprint Cup Series. At 6-foot-6, he was often called the “Gentle Giant” because of his friendly demeanor.

After a successful driving career, Baker made a transition to the television booth as an analyst, working for The Nashville Network and CBS. He most recently has co-hosted the shows “Late Shift” and “Tradin’ Paint” for SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.