Carl Edwards and Ricky Rudd are two of the latest members of the NASCAR Corridor of Fame.
Edwards and Rudd have been among the many three-person class elected to NASCAR’s Corridor on Wednesday. The 2 former drivers will likely be inducted into the Corridor of Fame in 2025 together with longtime automobile proprietor Ralph Moody. Dean Sicking, the creator of the SAFER Barrier for concrete partitions, has been awarded the Landmark Award.
Edwards received 28 races over 445 Cup Collection begins from 2004 by 2016. He completed second within the factors standings twice and was on the point of a Cup Collection title in his ultimate season earlier than he was concerned in a late-race crash.
The Missouri native received 9 races in 2008 however completed 69 factors behind Jimmie Johnson for the Cup Collection title. In 2011, Edwards was a key participant within the best postseason in NASCAR historical past as he and Tony Stewart dueled for the title. Stewart received the ultimate race of the season — his fifth win in 10 playoff races — and the 2 drivers ended up tied within the factors standings. Stewart received the title as a result of he completed the season with 5 wins to Edwards’ one.
Edwards didn’t win the title that season regardless of ending second in every of the ultimate three races of the season and ending no worse than eleventh in any of the ultimate 10 races of the season. The drama surrounding the championship battle between Edwards and Stewart that season is a giant cause NASCAR moved to a multi-round playoff format with eliminations in 2014.
In 2016, Edwards made the ultimate spherical of the playoffs and was in place to win the Cup Collection title with lower than 20 laps to go. However a warning for a automobile dropping particles brought about a late-race restart and Edwards was taken out in a crash as he went to dam a transfer from Joey Logano.
Edwards abruptly retired after that season and hasn’t raced in a single NASCAR race since.
Rudd received 23 races over 33 years within the Cup Collection. He set a Cup Collection file with 788 consecutive begins earlier than Jeff Gordon broke that file in 2015.
Rudd received races throughout 18 seasons and by no means had a season with greater than two victories. His greatest season got here in 1991 when he completed second within the standings to Dale Earnhardt. After driving for Rick Hendrick and different automobile house owners, Rudd spent many of the Nineties driving for his personal group earlier than becoming a member of Yates Racing and the Wooden Brothers within the 2000s.
Moody, a World Conflict II veteran, received 5 Cup Collection races within the Fifties earlier than he teamed with John Holman to run Holman-Moody Racing. David Pearson received the 1968 and 1969 Cup Collection titles driving for Moody’s group and Mario Andretti received the Daytona 500 the yr earlier than driving a Holman-Moody automobile. General, drivers in Holman-Moody tools received 96 races throughout 524 begins.
Moody was elected to the Corridor of Fame by way of the Pioneer Poll, whereas Edwards and Rudd have been chosen because the 2025 Trendy Period inductees.
Sicking’s honor is well-deserved given the security developments racing has made with the SAFER barrier. The barrier is twin wall with energy-absorbing foam blocks within the center to assist soak up high-speed impacts. SAFER boundaries are obligatory in any respect tracks that host NASCAR races.
