iNSIDE SCOOP: Surprise!

When Carl Edwards walked onstage at Joe Gibbs Racing this morning, that’s what he said: “Surprise!”

That Carl…what a kidder.

The worst-kept secret in NASCAR was made official this morning when Edwards, who started in Trucks, won a Nationwide Series title and came darn close to winning at least two NASCAR Sprint Cup Series titles for Jack Roush, leaped the fence for greener pastures with Joe Gibbs Racing.

He said all the right things, too. “I am focused on winning a NASCAR Sprint Cup title for the 99 and Jack Roush this year,” was the first one. He’s right. He owes his career to Roush, who plucked him out of relative obscurity and put him in the 99 car that was driven by Jeff Burton before the latter moved on to RCR.

Edwards more than paid him back, in my opinion. The only reason he’s not a Sprint Cup champion is because Tony Stewart flat refused to yield and pulled off the impossible in 2011. Stewart, when he won in 2005, had two guys right behind him: Greg Biffle and Carl Edwards, just 35 points back.

Edwards is 35. He knows he has a limited window to make this happen if it is destined to occur. Why not go to an organization which has competed for titles each of the past five years? Why not test his worth somewhere other than Roush Fenway Racing?

It’s something we all face. There comes a time in everyone’s life where there’s no more mountains left to climb where you are, and it’s time to find new mountains while you still have the ability to climb them.

Edwards has won twice this year, including at Sonoma, which was sort of a surprise. He’s a natural racer, a great salesman and an energetic personality. Now that he’s married and a daddy, he has bills to pay, and it’s time for him to get it done.

Going to Gibbs right now might be looked upon as a move down, but is it really? Roush Fords haven’t been as competitive this year as they have been in the past, with the Ford torch being carried by the Penske branch of the Blue Oval posse.

Gibbs has not been the JGR juggernaut of recent years either, with just two victories among three drivers. But Toyota is focused on JGR as its flagship team, and they will find the horses they lost somewhere between Homestead last year and Daytona in February. You can take that to the bank.

Edwards gets a chance to start afresh with a new team, a new crew chief (not that Jimmy Fennig is any kind of slouch; that old guy knows a thing or two about a thing or two) and a shiny new persona.

The best thing is, he has a new sponsor in Arris, at least for 17 races, and JGR officials have said the remaining 19 races are all but filled for 2015. That’s a good thing.

Carl can market himself the way he wants, too. Roush has for years controlled the souvenir/licensing for its drivers, and Carl can make his own deals within reason at JGR. That’s worth a few bucks, too, if you can believe Forbes and other such publications.

In short, he’s taking his shot, exiting his comfort zone and doing what he believes is right for him at this point in time.

That’s all anyone really wants at the end of the day, right?