Video: NASCAR Milestone – Buddy Baker Breaks the 200 MPH Barrier

Buddy Baker 1969 DaytonaIn 1969 the famed Talladega Superspeedway opened its gates, and at the time it was a track unlike any other in the world. It’s 5 story high banks allowed a man to travel faster on wheels then ever before. However, push to0 hard and the colossal track would eat your car alive.

In the late 1960s Detroit had begun to produce faster and more aerodynamic cars for NASCAR. Cars such as the Ford Torino Talladega, the Dodge Charger 500 and several others began to dominate the NASCAR circuit. While these cars where the fastest cars in the world they were not capable of reaching 200 MPH even on a superspeedway. Some drivers at the time where afraid to even drive on Talladega.

Buddy Baker 1969 Dodge Charger DaytonaIn order for the 200 MPH barrier to be broken, the right car and the right man were needed. The man turned out to be none other than Big Buddy Baker, and the right car was the 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona. Buddy Baker was a 6 foot 6 giant, and he had enough guts and brute strength to attempt such a feet. The Charger Daytona was the fastest and the most aerodynamic car to hit the tracks back in those days.

On March 24th, 1970, Baker set out to make history in his race-tuned Hemi equipped Daytona. He took his winged warrior flat out on the high bank oval, punched the throttle into the fire and broke the 200 MPH barrier. He did so with an average lap speed of 200.096 MPH, forever leaving his name in the record books next to one of the most important milestones in NASCAR history.

BuddyBakers1969DodgeDaytona

About the author

Josh Courter

Josh Courter is a Power Automedia freelancer with a serious passion for anything custom. Rods, classics, sleds, and even motorcycles provide inspiration for Josh along with his passion for automotive history.
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