NASCAR’s superspeedways have some of the fastest average speeds in motorsports, and the Daytona 500 is historically the very best it has to offer.
Though the Great American Race has always been flat-out, hard-knuckled competition, there has never been a greater embodiment of the concept of pure, uninterrupted speed than the 1980 Daytona 500.
When Buddy Baker crossed the line under caution after leading a staggering 143 of 200 laps, the average speed read 177.602 mph, completely shattering the 1972 record of 161 mph set by AJ Foyt. The record still stands today and will probably never be broken given the current state of pack racing and the use of tapered spacers.
The win came in Baker’s 18th attempt, the longest tenure until Dale Earnhardt won it in 1998 in his 20th try. Much like the experience Earnhardt would come to have in the years following, Baker had lost the Daytona 500 in nearly every conceivable way despite being a consistent player for superspeedway wins.
Baker won the Daytona 500 pole in 1969 and 1973 yet never came close to winning in either. Despite winning the first-ever Busch Clash and the pole in 1979’s 500, Baker fell out of the event with ignition problems.
But in 1980, Baker rolled into Daytona International Speedway with the famed Rainier-Lundy Racing “Gray Ghost,” an Oldsmobile 442 built by legendary crew chief and engine builder Waddell Wilson that has since become renowned for its speed.
Baker easily won the pole and was exceptionally confident in the car, but he was somewhat melancholic due to his prior luck.
“You begin to wonder if it’s you or maybe you’re not supposed to win at this particular racetrack,” Baker told CBS’ Ken Squier. “But this happens to almost everybody in racing. They have one racetrack that they have a lot of problems winning at.
“But eventually, I’ll win here. A win at Daytona is the most important, and I’m still young enough — I’ve got years to do it. But I believe that, this year, I have the best chance that I’ve ever had.”
Baker, who was 39 years old at the time, was the biggest story heading into the race, and his positive outlook would foreshadow success. Yet the mood heading into the event was anything but positive.
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