But two things tie Edwards and Rudd together — when each decided to retire, both essentially vanished from the NASCAR scene, and, on Friday night they will return to their old racing community as inductees of the NASCAR Hall of Fame. Edwards and Rudd are among five being celebrated Friday night as the newest members of the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

Carl Edwards and Ricky Rudd had very little overlap in their respective NASCAR careers. Edwards only entered 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.

Carl Edwards left NASCAR abruptly in 2016 and has mostly stayed away since, making his Hall of Fame induction all the more special to him.