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,

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

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.”