The NASCAR Hall of Fame celebrated the addition of three new members on Friday. Carl Edwards, Ricky Rudd, and Ralph Moody were all inducted into the hallowed halls during a ceremony in Charlotte, North Carolina.
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Moody, who represented the Pioneer class, was a World War II veteran who drove a tank under the command of General George S. Patton. He made his Cup Series debut during the 1956 season and won four races. He added another win in 1957 while driving for Pete DePaolo.
Moody did not remain behind the wheel, however, as he joined forces with John Holman to form Holman-Moody Racing. This team operated from 1957-73 and celebrated considerable success. David Pearson won consecutive championships for the team in 1968-69 while winning 27 races. Mario Andretti won the 1967 Daytona 500 for Holman-Moody Racing.
The list of successes continued with such drivers as Dick Hutcherson, Fred Lorenzen, Bobby Allison, Dan Gurney, Curtis Turner, Fireball Roberts, and Nelson Stacy all reaching victory lane. These drivers, along with Pearson and Andretti, helped Holman-Moody Racing win a staggering 96 races in only 15 seasons.
A driver turned legendary mechanic and car owner.
Ralph Moody is the newest inductee to the #NASCARHOF! pic.twitter.com/cRgge13WkC
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) February 8, 2025
Rudd, who started the second-most races in NASCAR history (906), was NASCAR's original iron man. He set the record for the most consecutive starts at 788, which stood until Jeff Gordon broke it in 2015.
The Rooster did not simply suit up and get behind the wheel, however. He delivered success while driving for Bud Moore, Richard Childress, and multiple other team owners. This helped him land on NASCAR's list of the 75 Greatest Drivers.
Rudd celebrated 23 Cup Series wins during his career, including the 1997 Brickyard 400. He posted 194 top-five finishes, 374 top-10s (seventh all-time), and 29 starts from the pole. The 1977 Rookie of the Year won at least one race in 16 consecutive seasons, which is the third-most all-time.
Edwards, another member of the 75 Greatest Drivers, was incredibly successful in multiple national series while driving for Jack Roush and Joe Gibbs. As an Xfinity Series driver, he finished top-two in points in five consecutive seasons. He won the 2007 championship.
Edwards' success in Xfinity featured 38 trips to victory lane and 27 starts from the pole in only 245 starts. He finished top-10 in a whopping 71% of his starts.
As a Cup driver, Edwards became a perennial championship contender. He won 28 races, including crown jewels at Charlotte Motor Speedway and Darlington Raceway. He finished fifth or better in the championship standings in five seasons.
Edwards never won the championship. His best finish was second in the 2008 and 2011 seasons. The second runner-up occurred in the closest finish in NASCAR history. Edwards only missed out on the championship by a tiebreaker.
Along with adding three new members to the Hall of Fame, NASCAR also celebrated one of the most important figures in racing history.
He helped revolutionize safety in our sport with the creation of the SAFER barrier.
We congratulate Dean Sicking, the recipient of the 2025 Landmark Award for Outstanding Contributions to NASCAR. pic.twitter.com/TGJSdP1Whj
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) February 8, 2025
Dr. Dean Sicking, the man responsible for the creation of the SAFER (Steel and Foam Energy Reduction) barrier, received the Landmark Award for Outstanding Contributions to NASCAR.
The SAFER barrier, created after the death of Dale Earnhardt, has saved countless lives over multiple decades. Drivers from all of the national series, as well as grassroots series, have been able to walk away from some extremely hard hits at tracks like Daytona, Talladega, and Atlanta.
