Buddy Baker (left) and Waddell Wilson (right) celebrates after winning the 1980 Daytona 500. Driving an Oldsmobile for Harry Ranier with Wilson as his crew chief, Baker dominated the event, leading 143 of the 200 laps. Both men were announced as 2020 inductees to the NASCAR Hall of Fame on Wednesday. Photo: ISC Images & Archives via Getty Images
Buddy Baker, the first man to break 200 mph on a closed course, and veteran engine builder and crew chief Waddell Wilson are among the 2020 inductees into the NASCAR Hall of Fame announced on Wednesday.
They are joined by driver turned car owner Tony Stewart, car owner Joe Gibbs and driver Bobby Labonte in the class, which will be inducted in January as the 11th group of inductees, bringing the overall total of Hall of Fame members to 55.
Baker, a second generation racer, joins his father Buck Baker as a Hall of Fame member. The 19-time Cup Series winner, passed away in August of 2015. His record boasts wins in the 1980 Daytona 500, the 1970 Southern 500, back-to-back wins in 1972 and 1973 in the Coca-Cola 600 and three wins in what was then the Winston 500 at Talladega Superspeedway in 1975, 1976 and 1980.
In 1970, driving a winged Dodge Daytona at Talladega, he became the first man to exceed 200 mph on a closed course, turning a lap in testing at 200.447 mph.
Wilson has an indelible tie to Baker, as he was the crew chief for Baker when he won the Daytona 500 in 1980 in what remains the fastest running of the race on record with an average speed of 177.602 MPH.
The list of drivers that Wilson worked with as an engine builder and crew chief reads like a who’s who of the NASCAR Hall of Fame. They include David Pearson and Benny Parsons, both of whom won Cup Series championships with Wilson prepared engines. He also worked with Fireball Roberts, Darrell Waltrip, Cale Yarbrough and Bobby Allison. In all, Wilson wrenched on cars that won 109 wins and 123 poles.
Along with Baker in 1980, Wilson twice more visited Daytona 500 victory lane with Cale Yarborough in 1983 and 1984.
Stewart was an Indy Car ace turned stock car jockey. He hit the ground running when he came to NASCAR in 1996, and during his Cup Series rookie season in 1999, he scored an unprecedented three victories in his first year in the top series, winning at Richmond, Phoenix and Homestead.
He would go on to score 49 Cup Series wins overall through his career, which came to an end in 2016, along with 11 Xfinity Series and two Truck Series wins. While he never made it to victory lane in the Daytona 500, Stewart did win two Cup Series championships as a driver in 2002 and 2005, one as an over/driver in 2011 and another as a car owner with Kevin Harvick in 2014.
The Rushville, Indiana native can also boast two “home state” victories at Indianapolis in the annual Brickyard 400 in 2005 and 2007.
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Stewart made his start in NASCAR with another 2020 inductee, car owner Joe Gibbs. The NFL Hall of Famer made the transition from football to NASCAR in 1992, starting with fellow Hall of Famer Dale Jarrett behind the wheel. From there, Gibbs would build a racing empire, winning 164 races to date, including this year’s Daytona 500 with Denny Hamlin.
That’s fitting as Gibbs first win as a car owner came in the 1993 Daytona 500 with Jarrett. The organization also won the 500 with Hamlin in 2016. Gibbs would win Cup Series titles four times, and Xfinity Series titles five times.
Gibbs Cup titles came with Stewart in 2002 and 2005, with Kyle Busch in 2015.
Gibbs also won a championship with another 2020 inductee, Bobby Labonte.
Labonte scored 21 Cup Series victories in his career that spanned from 1993 to 2006, with all of those victories coming while driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, along with the 2000 championship.
Labonte was also a 10 time winner on the NASCAR Xfinity Series, and was the first driver to win both a MENCS and a NXS championship.
Among the wins on his resume is a victory in the 2000 Brickyard 400, a win the Southern 500 at Darlington in 2000, a win in the Coca-Cola 600 in 1995 and six victories overall at Atlanta Motor Speedway (1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001 and 2003).
It was also announced on Wednesday that Edsel Ford II will be honored with the Landmark Award for Outstanding Contributions to NASCAR.
The 2020 NASCAR Hall of Fame class will be inducted on January 31, 2020 at the NASCAR Hall of Fame and Charlotte Convention Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.
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