Officially, Carl Edwards is forever enshrined in stock-racing lore with his induction into the NASCAR Hall of Fame on Friday evening. Eight years after his abrupt decision to step away from NASCAR Cup Series competition,

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.

Carl Edwards went from Columbia to Kansas Speedway and the other famed tracks of NASCAR. Now he’s a Hall of Famer.