When Ricky Rudd and Carl Edwards both left NASCAR after their driving careers ended, they disappeared from the sport, going years before returning to the track. Friday night, it was as if they hadn’t left.

One of the toughest drivers in NASCAR history joined one the most enigmatic drivers of the modern era as the newest inductees into the Hall of Fame in a star-studded Friday night ceremony

In the annals of NASCAR history, Ricky Rudd’s relentless drive at Martinsville stands as a symbol of human endurance and sheer willpower; battling through searing heat, dehydration, and the agony of second-stage burns, Rudd not only clinched an iconic victory but etched his name indelibly into the sport’s history.