NASCAR Legend Buddy Baker Has Cancer

NASCAR legend Buddy Baker announced Tuesday night that he has inoperable lung cancer. At six feet, six inches tall, the son of NASCAR Hall of Famer Buck Baker was often called the "Gentle Giant" during his 33-year driving career. What is next for Buddy Baker?

A few of the many accomplishments of Buddy Baker. In 1980, the Charlotte, North Carolina native won the Daytona 500 with an average race speed of 177.602 mph -- a track record that still stands. That same year, Baker became the first driver to eclipse the 200-mph mark on a closed course while testing at Talladega Superspeedway.

After retiring from driving in 1992, Baker made a successful transition to the television booth as a commentator for The Nashville Network and CBS, and later joined SiriusXM as co-host on "The Late Shift" and "Tradin' Paint."

According to FOX Sports, shortly after Baker announced he had cancer and was stepping down from his radio job, thoughts and well-wishes poured in from around the NASCAR world on Twitter and beyond.

Doctors told Buddy that there was nothing they could do and there was no time frame. Buddy, being the "gentle giant" he is, will stop working and concentrate on family and quality of life from the this point forward.

I had the pleasure of meeting Buddy Baker next to his car at McCormick Place in Chicago when I was a teenager with my dad at the Chicago Auto Show one year. He treated me like a family member with kindness and conversation. To this day, I remember the experience.

Prayers to the Baker family, as well as the NASCAR World.

Here are a few of the many tweets from NASCAR Drivers expressing themselves on Twitter.