NASCAR royalty made its way to uptown Charlotte Friday night to welcome and honor the newest class of NASCAR’s greatest. The sport’s heroes and legends gathered at the NASCAR Hall of Fame to formally induct the Hall’s esteemed class of 2025 — racing greats Ricky Rudd,

In one of the most moving speeches in the 15-year history of hall inductions, Edwards told the audience in the Charlotte (N.C.) Convention Center he had what he called “the façade of reputation” and said he was “kind of being a douchebag.”

Carl Edwards left NASCAR abruptly in 2016 and has mostly stayed away since, making his Hall of Fame induction all the more special to him.