Carl Edwards did everything he could, but Jimmie Johnson made sure Edwards’ best wasn’t good enough.
Edwards led the most laps and won Sunday’s Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway to score his series-best ninth victory of the season, but Johnson claimed the big prize—his record-tying third consecutive Cup Series title—with a 15th-place finish that gave him a 69-point advantage over Edwards in the final standings
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Though Johnson’s accomplishment comes in a different era and under a different scoring system from that used in Cale Yarborough’s 1976-1978 run, the dominance of No. 48 team has been arguably more difficult to achieve, given the heightened level of competition in today’s Cup Series.
Johnson’s titles have been won in the glitzy new Chase format, where the best drivers compete over a 10-race sprint to the title.
“From the first lap on track I knew we had a car that was in the ballpark and a car that I could drive to the front with,” Johnson said. “I felt very, very good once the race started. There were a couple of points where it was dicey at times, but all in all, I really felt like I was in control of where this car was on the track.
“We didn’t need to risk it,” said Johnson, who let loose with an exuberant celebration in his No. 48 Chevrolet.
“It’s the ultimate reward. We worked so hard to put ourselves in this position,” Johnson said. “It’s just total teamwork and dedication. There were times this year when things were dark, but we buckled down and got to work and that’s what it was really all about.”
Edwards started fourth and ended up leading the most laps. But Johnson never felt the pressure. He said he cruised through the race in a state of near serenity.
“Experience helped me with this,” he said.
“That’s the most comfortable I have been in the car here at Homestead racing for a championship,” Johnson said. “And it’s the most competitive I think I’ve been. A lot of it has to do with the comfort that came with the experience and the points lead (which was 141 at the start) and stuff.”
The big problem for Johnson was other drivers. They were the only thing that disturbed him.
“I cannot believe how stupid some of these guys can be out there,” Johnson said. “It just shocks me.”
After the race, it was just a matter of time before somebody brought up the “F” word — four straight championships. Can Johnson do it?
The question went to Knaus.
“Yeah, we want four,” Knaus said. “Why not? That’s why we’re here. We think we got the team, the resources with Hendrick Motorsports and Team Chevrolet behind us. We can definitely go for four championships in a row.”
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