"It's really hard to put into words" - NASCAR HOF inductee Ricky Rudd on the weight of the honor

Ricky Rudd was selected as the inductee for the NASCAR Hall of Fame, along with Carl Edwards and Ralph Moody for the Class of 2025. Rudd and the others will be officially inducted in a ceremony at Charlotte Convention Centre on February 7 next year.

Ricky 'Rooster' Rudd is a former NASCAR driver with 23 wins in a career span of 32 formidable years. From his debut in 1975 until his retirement in 2017, Rudd started in 906 Cup races second to the Richard 'King' Petty with 1185. Along with that, he had 194 top-five finishes and 374 top-ten finishes in his Cup Series career.

The 67-year-old Rudd, in a recent conversation with NASCAR on Fox, shared his feelings about becoming an official member of the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

"It's just really hard to put it into words. For so many years, you thrive, to be good in your sport to win races and try to accomplish a lot of things that you set your goals high for, and the Hall of Fame was something you don't really think about at the time when you're racing. But once you retire, it does enter your mind quite a bit," Rudd said. (at 0:11)

"I have more respect for the honor of what it actually means to be a Hall of Fame official member," he added.

The Virginia native claimed that he refrains from hanging around the racetrack. However, with the honor presented to him by NASCAR, he is planning to have a change of plans for his future.

"I'm gonna try to make some more appearances now that you know, this tremendous honor being in a hall of fame," Rudd said. (at 1:59)

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Ricky Rudd's highlights major career achievement

Ricky Rudd became a member of the NASCAR Hall of Fame for the class of 2025 after eight years on the ballot.

According to Rudd, his most significant victory was the 1997 Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. In the conversation with the hosts on NASCAR on FOX, he said (at 3:38):

"The 1997 Brickyard 400 was a big deal because not only I drove the car, but also owned it paid the bills on the car, so it meant a lot and and just to win it in Indianapolis was it was a big deal."

Rudd was awarded the NASCAR Rookie of the Year in 1977. He also held the record for the most consecutive starts with 788, which was broken by NASCAR legend Jeff Gordon in 2015.