NASCAR Inducts Three New Members into Hall of Fame
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- NASCAR\'s heroes and legends gathered at the NASCAR Hall of Fame on Friday to formally induct the esteemed class of 2025 -- racing greats Ricky Rudd, Carl Edwards and the late Ralph Moody.
They -- along one of the sport\'s great safety innovators, Dr. Dean Sicking, and one of its most accomplished storytellers, Associated Press reporter Mike Harris -- were celebrated for their important contributions to stock car racing.
Hundreds of fans began crowding the lobby of the NASCAR Hall of Fame early in the afternoon, hours before their heroes arrived -- their cameras pointed toward the red carpet and applause finally greeting each of the honored guests, from one of the Hall\'s original inductees, seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Richard Petty to beloved driver Donnie Allison to a pair of the most successful crew chiefs in racing history, Ray Evernham and Chad Knaus.
But the cheers rang loudly and cell phone cameras flashed rapidly filling the room when Rudd and Edwards arrived on the red carpet.
In a 13-year NASCAR Cup Series career, Edwards won 28 races, including the Southern 500 at Darlington (S.C.) and the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte. He was a two-time NASCAR Cup Series championship runner-up, losing out on the 2011 title in the closest title race in history -- a tiebreaker with fellow NASCAR Hall of Famer Tony Stewart.
In all, Edwards earned 72 victories in the three national series, including the 2007 NASCAR Xfinity Series championship. In 2005, he competed full time in both the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and Xfinity Series.
Nearly two hundred people -- Edwards\' family, friends and most ardent career supporters -- accompanied the 45-year old Missourian to North Carolina for the career-defining moment on Friday. One of his former car owners, fellow NASCAR Hall of Famer Joe Gibbs, rented an airplane for Edwards to transport his large group of support from Missouri.
Edwards explained that during his career fans watched him do his signature backflips to celebrate race wins, but that was only a momentary snapshot and that he probably did not allow himself the real time to cherish the victories as he should have.
\"So, I said, we\'re going to make sure there is a real celebration,\" Edwards said. \"For many reasons I\'m happy to be able to come back and thank everyone. It\'s not reality, not for me yet. ... I don\'t even know what to say. It feels ... very good.\"
In speaking to the Hall on stage during his official induction, Edwards called his message one of \"gratitude\" -- thanking his parents, wife, children, longtime fans and Hall of Fame team owners Jack Roush and Gibbs, his competitors and all those that worked on his teams.
\"Thanks for making me part of your family. Thank you NASCAR,\" he said.
It was a similarly moving induction experience for Rudd, known as one of the toughest competitors in the sport\'s history. His first NASCAR start of any kind came in the NASCAR Cup Series and he finished 11th in that 1975 debut at Rockingham, N.C. as an 18-year old -- earning his
