BROOKLYN, Mich. -- The worst-kept secret in Winston Cup racing finally was revealed Sunday morning with a little bit of an unexpected -- yet quite tasty -- twist.

While M&M's candy is supposed to melt in your mouth and not your hands, it had Elliott Sadler melting with unbridled enthusiasm. It was announced that he not only will join Robert Yates Racing, but that M&M's will also be on board in a multi-year deal as the primary sponsor for the newly numbered No. 38 Ford Taurus that Sadler will pilot in the 2003 Winston Cup season.

	Elliott Sadler will have M&M's as a sponsor next year.

In terms of numbers, Sadler replaces veteran driver Ricky Rudd, who will be leaving Team Yates at the end of this season. What will happen with the current sponsorship of the No. 28 Ford that Rudd currently drives remains up in the air. Several reports have Texaco-Havoline potentially following Rudd in support of a third car for next season for Team Ganassi.

Two rumored snags to the Rudd/Texaco-Havoline/Ganassi deal being finalized is whether Rudd and Texaco-Havoline will be able to retain the No. 28, a number that has been synonymous with the sponsor for more than a decade. Also up in the air is whether Texaco-Havoline will be comfortable switching its support to the Dodge nameplate after a long, successful tenure of being identified with Ford.

But, it was the 27-year-old Sadler who definitely was the man of honor on Sunday. After a circuitous cycle of nearly four months of coy hinting, followed by denials and then back again, Sadler was finally able to scream to the world Sunday that all the I's are dotted and T's crossed on his freshly inked multi-year deal with Team Yates.

"This is a career opportunity, a once-in-a-lifetime deal," Sadler said. "It seems like the last few months, I've been dying to tell you (as the deal slowly came together)."

When he moves to his new home, Sadler will be paired with veteran driver and former Winston Cup champion Dale Jarrett , always a threat in whatever race he competes in, as he proved in winning for the fourth time in his career (and 30th overall career Cup triumph) Sunday afternoon at Michigan International Speedway. When he moves to Yates Racing next season, it will mark the first time in Sadler's Winston Cup career that he'll have a teammate … and he certainly can't get a much better partner than Jarrett, that's for sure.

"I think (Jarrett is) the best teammate there is in the garage, not only what he does on the track, but off the track, too," Sadler said. "Everybody who's interviewed me in the past years knows how highly I speak and think of Dale Jarrett. So, to be able to work with him for a common goal to win Robert Yates a championship is a big honor to me."

Sunday's announcement affects more than just Sadler's old and new teams. It also spells major bad news for MB2 Motorsports. With M&M's moving to Sadler's ride in 2003, MB2 will have to find a new primary sponsor for next year.

What's more, the departure of M&M's could also put current driver Ken Schrader on the hot seat at MB2. A new sponsor could conceivably want a younger or more successful driver.

Schrader might have a hard time pushing his case on either of those two fronts to a new sponsor. He's 47 years old and has not won a Winston Cup event in more than 11 years, the last time being in 1991 at Dover.

What's more, one look at his yearly finishes show Schrader has been a credible -- yet not a championship-caliber -- driver. Since finishing fourth in the championship series in 1994, he's progressively fallen further down the Winston Cup standings ladder -- 10th in '97, 12th in '98, 15th in '99, 18th in '00 and 19th last season.

Schrader isn't the only driver who will be affected by Sadler's departure for Team Yates. Sadler's long-awaited move may finally trigger what could be the wildest "Silly Season" in a long time. At last count, and depending on how many of the rumors floating around the Cup circuit you believe, the potential exists for close to 10 drivers to have new homes when the season-opening Daytona 500 rolls around next February.

Among the names mentioned: Steve Park, John Andretti, Kenny Wallace, Schrader, Jerry Nadeau, Joe Nemechek, Todd Bodine and older brother Brett Bodine. And, while the likelihood of his leaving his current team would seem extremely remote, even Dale Earnhardt Jr. could have a new Cup address next season, still not having finalized a new deal with his stepmother's team for 2003.

But one thing's for sure: there'll be a help wanted sign hanging outside the Wood Brothers' garage on Monday. And as that situation goes, so too will the rest of the tentative Winston Cup lineup for 2003. Look for quite a few more job openings on the near horizon.

Sadler is signed, sealed and delivered -- now it's time to see who'll be next.

Jerry Bonkowski covers NASCAR for ESPN.com.