Carl Edwards, driver of the No. 19 Xfinity Toyota, celebrates with a backflip after winning the ... [+]
Two of the best drivers to never win a Nascar Cup Series championship have been selected to the Nascar Hall of Fame class of 2025.
Carl Edwards and Ricky Rudd were voted into the Nascar Hall of Fame on Tuesday alongside Ralph Moody (Pioneer ballot) and Dr. Dean Sicking, who will receive the Landmark Award for Outstanding Contributions to Nascar.
Edwards competed for what was known as Roush Fenway Racing (now RFK Racing) and Joe Gibbs Racing from 2005 to 2016, when he unexpectedly retired. He won 28 Cup Series races, along with 38 victories in the Xfinity Series. The 2007 Xfinity Series champion was known for doing celebratory backflips from his racecar after each win.
Edwards never won a Cup Series title. However, he did come quite close on multiple occassions. He had legendary battles with Jimmie Johnson in 2008 and Tony Stewart in 2011, finishing runner-up in the championship standings in both seasons. The battle with Stewart was the tightest in Nascar history as the two tied after the season finale, with Stewart winning the tie-breaker due to having more wins than Edwards.
Rudd was known as an Iron Man and one of the toughest drivers in Nascar. He quite literally raced with his eyes taped open once, days after flipping his car.
Rudd competed for the likes of Hendrick Motorsports and Robert Yates Racing, along with being an owner/driver for Rudd Performance Motorsports from 1994-99. He also drove for Richard Childress, Bud Moore, Kenny Bernstein and the Wood Brothers. Known as Mr. Consistency, he was good for a win per year in 16 consecutive seasons. With 906 Cup starts, he’s second to Richard Petty’s 1,185.
Rudd received 87% of the Modern Era ballot votes, Nascar announced, with Edwards earning 52%. Harry Gant, Jeff Burton and Harry Hyde were behind the two inductees.
Moody was a key part of the legendary Holman-Moody operation. The World War II veteran became a mechanic after the war. He teamed up with John Holman to create an epic team, winning two championships with David Pearson and the 1967 Daytona 500 with Mario Andretti. They won 96 races and 83 poles.
Dr. Sicking is the creator of the life-saving SAFER barrier, which is now a requirement at all Nascar tracks. The SAFER barrier was one of many innovations after Dale Earnhardt’s death in 2001. But it is one that has arguably had the greatest impact in terms of saving lives.
“The Midwest Roadside Safety Facility at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln to better understand the circumstances and help prevent future tragedies — a partnership that remains in place today,” Nascar said in its Hall of Fame press release about Dr. Sicking’s accomplishments. “In addition to designing the SAFER barrier, Sicking studied each track’s incident history and helped implement a plan to cover the most dangerous areas immediately. For his efforts, Sicking was named winner of the Bill France Award of Excellence in 2003 and was awarded the National Medal of Technology and Innovation by President George W. Bush in 2005.”
The 2025 Nascar Hall of Fame induction ceremony will take place on Friday, Feb. 7, 2025.
