Joe Gibbs Racing signs Carl Edwards, will drive No. 19 car

The worst kept secret of the 2015 NASCAR season is now official: Carl Edwards is moving over to Joe Gibbs Racing next season, driving the No. 19 ARRIS Group Toyota Camry in the Sprint Cup Series.

“Surprise!” Edwards joked as he walked out onto the podium at Joe Gibbs Racing headquarters. Joining him on the panel was driver Daniel Suarez, who will drive for Gibbs full-time in the Nationwide Series starting next season.

Rumors of Edwards’ departure from Roush Fenway Racing began at the start of the season when he said that he wasn’t sure what his future holds with his current team. In July, Roush announced that they’ve signed Trevor Bayne to drive the No. 6 car full time, and that Edwards would not be returning to the team.

Speculation arose as to where Edwards would land in 2015. Some thought Team Penske, but team owner Roger Penske stated that he had no plans of upgrading to a 3-car team. Others thought Richard Childress Racing, but Edwards declined the offer to join them.

All signs then pointed to Joe Gibbs Racing. Early Tuesday morning, Joe Gibbs released this video:

"This is a huge day for me," Edwards said. "It means the world to have this opportunity. It's also nice that I'll be able to talk about this now."

Edwards’ new sponsor Arris is a telecommunications equipment manufacturer, and are new to Joe Gibbs Racing. Because of contract stipulations, Edwards was not allowed to bring any of his sponsors over to his new team.

The season isn't over yet. Edwards still plans on racing hard for the remainder of the season with Roush. Not to mention that he has a spot in the Chase. 

"We're competitors for the rest of the season," Edwards said to Denny Hamlin, Matt Kenseth and Kyle Busch, who were all in attendance for Tuesday's announcement. "I'm going to try and make it as tough as I can on you guys."