CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Carl Edwards felt he’d turned his back on racing, but the sport never left him.

One of the newest NASCAR Hall of Fame inductees long understood that every prize has its price. While his family was well worth that price — the Cup Series veteran retired at 37 — Edwards feels the NASCAR community is letting him win both ways.

Edwards is now immortalized in the sport’s Hall of Fame in Uptown Charlotte. He was honored alongside 23-time Cup Series winner Ricky Rudd and late driver and owner Ralph Moody in the annual induction ceremony Friday night at the Charlotte Convention Center.

Following his 2016 season, in which Edwards reached the Championship 4 with Joe Gibbs Racing, he made a decision.

“The theme of this is gratitude, and it’s going to sound strange, but I’m so grateful that we didn’t win that championship,” Edwards said in his speech. “I’m so grateful, because it gave me time to go home and think about a few things. I looked at my career, it’s beyond my wildest dreams. I didn’t know my kids. And because of brave men like Dale Earnhardt Jr. and other athletes, I was keenly aware there are real risks.”

Edwards’ mother, Nancy Sterling, performed the induction for her son. Edwards spoke for more than 20 minutes, and each of the other speeches were around eight minutes.

‘Difference between reputation and character’

The one regret Edwards has in his NASCAR career? He didn’t respect his competitors enough.

Edwards said the one thing he really did wrong in the sport was that he was too self-centered. Sure, racers are mortal enemies on the track, but they should be brothers off it. Edwards said he “missed the opportunity.”

“I didn’t care about anything else,” Edwards said. “And then it got kind of interesting, when it’s like, I’m kind of a big deal. I started walking around and cared more about what I looked like, what people thought of me, whether I was tough enough, whether I made enough money, than I should have. And you guys found cracks in that facade of reputation. You pointed them out, and it hurt.

“ ’These people don’t know me, why are they treating me this way?’ And then I realized: ‘That’s because you’re kind of becoming a douchebag.’ There’s a huge difference between reputation and character.”

‘Truly the honor of a lifetime’ for Ricky Rudd

Fifty years ago, Ricky Rudd and his brother volunteered on their uncle’s Cup Series car. He and Al Rudd Jr. were working on the Ford driven by Bill Champion, Rudd’s uncle who raced in the Winston Cup Series from 1951 to 1976.

It wasn’t long before one of the sport’s newest Hall of Fame inductees climbed behind the wheel.

Rudd was just 18 when he looked through the windshield of his Cup Series car at Rockingham Speedway and saw Richard Petty, Bobby and Donnie Allison and other greats as practice was starting. He couldn’t believe he was anywhere near them.

The Chesapeake, Va., native won the Rookie of the Year award in 1977 — with family and friends working on his car in a small garage. They eventually packed up and moved to the Charlotte area, starting by renting an old apartment in Kannapolis for 45 days.

Rudd, who won 23 races throughout a Cup Series career that spanned more than 30 years, was inducted by his son, Landon Rudd.

“Thanks to NASCAR for creating a sport where anybody chasing a dream could compete,” Rudd said. “Racing in NASCAR allowed me to experience things that most people will never have a chance to do. I flew with the Blue Angels. I shook the hands of two presidents. Played a small part in a Hollywood movie.

“This is truly the honor of a lifetime.”

Ralph Moody posthumously enters Hall of Fame

Moody has been inducted as a “pioneer,” an honor reserved for those whose careers began more than 60 years ago.

Having served in World War II under General George S. Patton, the NASCAR driver and owner moved to Florida in 1949 to focus on racing year-round. Moody won five races as a driver and co-owned Ford team “Holman-Moody Racing” with John Holman, which competed in the Cup Series from 1957-1971.

During the first of the three Hall of Famers’ speeches, Ralph Moody III spoke about how his father left home at 17 in Massachusetts to work on his neighbor’s dairy farm. One day another farmer suggested making a trip to watch quarter midgets.

Moody eventually traded in his driver’s seat for the tour of the tank, his son put it, and served in General Patton’s 13th Armored Division. Racing was his passion. He returned home to New England before moving to Florida and starting his team with Holman.

Holman-Moody was dominant, winning two championships with David Pearson and 96 total races. Among the victories were two Daytona 500 races: Fred Lorenzen (1965) and Mario Andretti (1967).

“Ralph wanted the fastest race cars in the world, and John wanted the largest business,” Moody III said. “They both achieved their dreams at Holman-Moody, along with a host of talented people who they were able to hire together, they didn’t just build cars.

“They built an empire of innovation, from engine performance to aerodynamics. Their ideas pushed the limits of what stock car racing could achieve.”

Who else did NASCAR honor Friday night in Charlotte?

Dr. Dean Sicking, the Texas-born researcher who invented the SAFER barrier, is this year’s Landmark Award recipient for outstanding contributions.

Retired motorsports writer Mike Harris of The Associated Press was honored as recipient of the 2025 Squier-Hall Award for NASCAR Media Excellence.

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