Buddy Baker, one of stock car racing’s...

Buddy Baker, one of stock car racing’s most colorful figures, has retired, according to the Charlotte Observer in Charlotte, N.C.

Baker, 47, winner of 19 major races, suffered a head injury earlier this season and had brain surgery last month to remove a blood clot. Doctors said the clot was the result of injuries he suffered in a crash during the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte in May.