On May 21 the NASCAR Hall of Fame named five new members as the 2025 class of inductees. The two modern ballot, one pioneer, and one Landmark member will join as the newest members to the NASCAR Hall of Fame on February 7, 2025.
Mr. Backflip Car Edwards, “The Iron Man” Ricky Rudd, mechanical whiz Ralph Moody, and “The Safety Man” Dr. Dean Sicking were the top vote getters for induction into The Hall.
Carl Edwards got his start in racing in his home state of Missouri. As a NASCAR driver Edwards drove in all three racing Series – Truck, Xfinity, and Cup – and was named to the list of 75 Greatest drivers last year as a part of NASCAR’S 75th anniversary. While he never won a championship – he came close missing by just one point in one year – Edwards was always entertaining. When he won a race, he celebrated by doing back flip off the window ledge of the door. Drivers today make announcements about their impending retirement; Edwards walked quietly away and didn’t look back.
Before Jeff Gordon broke the record for most consecutive race starts the record belonged to Ricky Rudd who notched 788 races to claim the title of NASCAR’s Iron Man. And before it was all said and done, the Virginia native racked up a total of 906 races over his 33 year Cup Series career – second only to Richard Petty. Between 1983 and 1998, Ricky Rud won at least one race each year for a 16 year streak. Also a member of the 75 Greatest Driver list, it has taken Ricky Rudd eight years on the ballot to earn his title of Hall of Fame driver.
Pioneer inductee Ralph Moody was a mechanical wiz and a car owner who went on to win the Daytona 500 twice and two Cup Series championships with David Pearson.
NASCAR has Dr. Dean Sicking to thank for their SAFER – Steel And Foam Energy Reduction – barrier that has been installed at every track after the death of Dale Earnhardt Sr in 2001. Sicking is the 2025 Landmark Award winner for Outstanding Contributions to NASCAR.