Tenacity, innovation and backflips. Sustained success at NASCAR’s highest levels. Those are some of the defining qualities the 2025 NASCAR Hall of Fame class possesses. And on Friday night in downtown Charlotte,

Carl Edwards and Ricky Rudd had very little overlap in their respective NASCAR careers. Edwards only entered the the elite Cup Series in 2004 — a mere 67 races before Rudd ended his 32-year career — so the two never got a chance to know one another.

Edwards, who will be inducted into the sport’s Hall of Fame on Friday alongside Ricky Rudd and Ralph Moody, initially felt nervous to return to the track when the fan favorite driver was invited to NASCAR’s 75th anniversary celebration.