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Triple play
Edwards wins race; Johnson wins third-straight title
Complete results | Race chat | Starting lineup | Pit picks
Photos | Ask the Pros!
Nothing could stop Jimmie Johnson's drive into the NASCAR record books. Not even a final, furious push by Carl Edwards.
Edwards led a race-high 157 laps, ran out of gas as he crossed the finish line, but still won Sunday's season-ending race at Homestead-Miami Speedway. His series-high ninth win of the year wasn't enough to wrest away the Sprint Cup title.
Johnson locked up his third consecutive championship with a solid 15th-place run, beating Edwards by 69 points to join Cale Yarborough as the only drivers in NASCAR history to win three straight titles.
"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."
Yarborough won his three titles 30 years ago, under a different scoring system and in a very different NASCAR. He accomplished his feat when drivers scraped together the cash they needed to race, and the champion was the guy on top at the end of a long grueling season.
Johnson's titles have been won in the glitzy new Chase to the championship format, where the best 12 drivers compete over a 10-race sprint to the title.
Johnson and his Hendrick Motorsports team have mastered the system, proving themselves unbeatable in their pursuit of Yarborough's mark. They've won their titles with consistency - he finished outside the top 10 just twice in this Chase, a 15th-place finish at Texas - and by winning eight of the last 30 Chase races.
They've also gotten very rich along the way: Johnson has won more than $2 million in the 10 Chase races this year. Yarborough notched a combined $1.63 million in all three of his championship seasons.
Although the industry was keenly aware of its front row seat to history, the celebration seemed subdued because of the economic crisis that's finally found its way to NASCAR. The Big Three automakers are crumbling, car owners are struggling to find sponsorship, and widespread layoffs are expected Monday, when teams could combine to let go what's been estimated as up to 1,000 employees.
Just this weekend, NASCAR said it would suspend all testing next year to help teams save millions in their 2009 budgets.
Had the crisis hit earlier, and the testing ban was in place this season, Johnson very well might not have won the title. He struggled at the start of the year in adapting to the full-time use of NASCAR's current car, so he and crew chief Chad Knaus embarked on an aggressive testing schedule that helped them catch the competition by late summer.
"It's what we work for, it's what we do," said Knaus, the first crew chief to win three consecutive titles. "We don't want to do anything but race and win races and win championships."
When Edwards won back-to-back races at Atlanta and Texas to take a bite out of Johnson's points lead, Johnson rebounded with a win at Phoenix last week to make Sunday's drive a mere formality. He needed only to finish 36th or better to win the title, but got off to a rocky start when he qualified 30th.
But Johnson moved to the top of the speed charts in Saturday's practices, then wasted no time driving through the field at the start of the race. He picked up at least one position a lap, and was running inside the top five as the laps wound down.
He stopped for gas and tires with 13 laps to go, leading to his mid-pack finish.
Edwards pushed it to the limit, knowing he had to win the race, lead the most laps and pray for Johnson to have some trouble to win his first title. But he was a gracious runner-up, and after his trademark celebratory backflip, he walked over to Johnson's passing car on the track to congratulate him.
"At least we can lay our heads down tonight and know we won some races and just got beaten by a true champion," said Edwards, who gained 72 points on Johnson in the final race.
Complete story
Race coverage
Cautions: 7 for 31 laps
Caution 1 / Laps 71-74: Aric Almirola spun coming off Turn 4 to bring out the caution. Lost control all by himself on that incident. All of the leaders pit during the caution period and Carl Edwards just edges Kevin Harvick out of the pits during the ensuing pit stops. Several drivers mentioned that they are having trouble seeing their pit boards because of the lowering sun.
Free pass: AJ Allmendinger (28th).
Caution 2 / Laps 141-146: Debris in Turn 2. Leaders pitted during the ensuing yellow flag period, but nobody can get past Carl Edwards in the pits.
Free pass: Bill Elliott (21st).
Caution 3 / Laps 153-156: Kurt Busch had a left front tire go flat before he slammed the wall in Turn 4 to bring out the caution. A mixture of lead lap cars pit under the caution - but that group does not include Carl Edwards nor Jimmie Johnson, who called off his pit stop after crew chief Chad Knaus told him to come in.
Free pass: Kasey Kahne (22nd).
Caution 4 / Laps 169-173: Reed Sorenson got into Marcos Ambrose, sending him into the frontstretch wall to bring out the caution. Leaders pit during the ensuing yellow flag period, allowing Jeff Gordon to take over the lead by staying out. Jeff Burton had originally stayed out, but pitted before the green flag to restart the race.
Free pass: Greg Biffle (23rd).
Caution 5 / Laps 179-182: Jeff Burton spins out coming off Turn 2. He was on the inside and then got knocked by Joe Nemechek to spin out.
Free pass: Scott Riggs (24th).
Caution 6 / Laps 200-203: Reed Sorenson has a flat tire and starts sliding up and down the track to bring out the caution. Sorenson hit the wall before suffering his right rear flat. The leaders pit and Johnson comes out first from the pits (he took two tires during that stop).
Free pass: Travis Kvapil (24th).
Caution 7 / Laps 208-211: Kurt Busch has a tire go down and slams the wall to bring out the caution. A variety of drivers pit, so if this thing goes green until the end we may see somebody gamble on fuel and sneak a victory away.
Free pass: Ryan Newman (25th).
Leaders: David Reutimann (pole, 1), Matt Kenseth (2-12), Carl Edwards (13-15), Matt Kenseth (16-17), Carl Edwards (18-50), Kevin Harvick (51), Juan Pablo Montoya (52-53), Carl Edwards (54-169), Jeff Gordon (170-185), (Matt Kenseth (186-199), Carl Edwards (200), Jimmie Johnson (201-206), Matt Kenseth (207-244), Tony Stewart (245-255), Matt Kenseth (256-263), Carl Edwards (264-267)
Off the track: Kurt Busch (accident), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (mechanical)
Starting in the back: None
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Last call
Hamlin leads final Cup practice of year
Practice speeds: First | Second | Final
Things were definitely looking up for Jimmie Johnson on Saturday at Homestead-Miami Speedway, where he is hoping to put the finishing touches on a record-tying third straight NASCAR Sprint Cup championship in the season finale.
After a 30th-place qualifying effort Friday, Johnson's No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet was fastest in the first of two practices on the 1.5-mile oval before slipping to fourth in the second and final session.
Series runner-up Carl Edwards was in the opposite situation. Edwards, who trails Johnson by 141 points going into Sunday's Ford 400, qualified fourth, but had a so-so final day of practice. He was seventh in the opening session, but fell to 23rd in the last hour.
That wasn't a good omen for Edwards, who has to lead laps and finish at or near the top to have any hope of catching Johnson, who needs to finish only 36th or better to match Cale Yarborough's 30-year-old record of three straight Cup titles.
"Just the fact that we're starting in front Jimmie, that's a small victory for us," Edwards said after qualifying. "The better chance we can have, the better pit stall selection we can have, the more traffic he's in, all of those things add up to a better chance for us to make this Cinderella story happen and come back from nowhere and win this."
One of the few things that could give Edwards a chance is for Johnson to have a parts failure of get caught up in a crash.
Chad Knaus, Johnson's crew chief, said starting in midpack is not where he would like his driver to be.
"There is a lot of mayhem that goes on back there, especially at this racetrack with the way the groove widens up," Knaus said. "You get people all over the racetrack, so that's always a concern.
"People say, 'Well, that's just bad luck if you get caught up in a wreck when you're at the back of the field.' But, quite honestly, if you hadn't qualified so poorly you wouldn't be back there and you wouldn't be in the wreck. Obviously, engine issues, mechanical issues ... you just don't even know what's going to happen. So I'm worried about everything, to be quite honest with you. But the thing I'm most concerned about, is just making sure we keep (Edwards) in eyesight."
Denny Hamlin, another of the 12 drivers in the Chase for the championship, was fast on Saturday. He was right behind Johnson in the first practice and led the "Happy Hour" session, just ahead of three-time Homestead winner Greg Biffle.
But the spotlight will be on Johnson and Edwards. As 2007 Homestead winner Matt Kenseth can attest, the race winner gets little attention if somebody else wins the championship.
"It's cool to win anytime you can, especially the last race of the year because you can't get beat the next week," Kenseth said. "You've kind of got all winter to be a little bit happy about your win and enjoy it."
Complete story
Friday practice recap: Home cooking for Montoya
Dodge may be experiencing financial difficulties, but it's not showing this weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Juan Pablo Montoya, Ryan Newman and Kurt Busch, all Dodge drivers, finished quickest in the opening practice at the 1.5-mile speedway, with Miami-resident Montoya's best lap of 171.282 mph setting the mark of record.
Toyota's David Reutimann and Ford's Travis Kvapil rounded out the top five in the 90-minute session.
Jimmie Johnson, who enters the weekend on the verge of clinching his third-straight Sprint Cup Series championship, was sixth quick. He was followed by title rival Carl Edwards, Kevin Harvick, Elliott Sadler and Dale Earnhardt Jr. Johnson needs to finish 36th or better in order to clinch the season championship on Sunday.
Qualifying for this weekend's NASCAR finale, the Ford 400, is scheduled for 3:10 p.m. ET this afternoon.
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Pole day surprise
Reutimann nabs Homestead pole
Qualifying results | Lineup
David Reutimann won the pole for Sunday's Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, but when the race starts, the focus won't be at the front of the field.
Jimmie Johnson, a heavy favorite to win his third straight NASCAR Sprint Cup championship, will have to deal with traffic and avoid potential disaster early in the race after qualifying 30th in Friday afternoon's time trials. Carl Edwards, 141 points in arrears and the only driver with a mathematical chance to overtake Johnson, starts fourth.
Reutimann used a late qualifying draw to his advantage in posting a lap at 171.636 mph (31.462 seconds). That was fast enough to edge Scott Speed (171. 461 mph), who switched cars with Red Bull Racing teammate Brian Vickers in a play to get the No. 84 Toyota that Speed usually drives into the top 35 in owner points.
Vickers qualified 20th in the No. 84, which is 36th in owner points, 17 behind the No. 47 Camry driven by Marcos Ambrose, who qualified 41st.
Matt Kenseth (171.429 mph) qualified third, followed by Edwards (171.418 mph) and Kevin Harvick (171.043 mph). With his 14-year streak of at least one victory each season in jeopardy, Jeff Gordon will start 37th.
"We got a fairly late draw and got a little cloud cover, and that helped a little," Reutimann said. It's a great way to start your weekend, starting up front and getting a great pit selection."
Johnson had problems at the start of his two-lap run and never recovered.
"I had some trouble coming to the green," Johnson said. "I lost some time trying to take the green flag and get going from there. So it's probably not the qualifying effort that we wanted, but we had a great practice and have a great car and we'll be just fine.
"We'd love to start up front and we'd love that first pit stall pick because we all know how important that is. But it's just not for us today, but this team, in the past, we've shown our strength many times ..."
Edwards' crew chief, Bob Osborne, said he his primary mission will be to keep his driver up front for the entire race.
"But I'm sure Jimmie will be coming pretty fast," Osborne said.
Ken Schrader, Sam Hornish Jr. and Max Papis failed to qualify.
Complete story
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Darrell Waltrip
Make it there
Some fans complain about the year-end awards banquet being in New York City, but Darrell Waltrip says it's good for the sport.
Jeff Hammond
Hangin' Chad
If NASCAR is a team sport, Jeff Hammond wonders why the champions banquet doesn't let crew chiefs like Chad Knaus speak.
Larry McReynolds
Group think
The drivers may get all the glory, but Larry McReynolds says it's really the team that makes the difference.
Steve Byrnes
Reign maker
The layout of Homestead-Miami Speedway makes it a great place to race — and a great place to crown a champion, Steve Byrnes says.
Mike Joy
Built for excitement
Richmond has a rich racing history, one that included thrilling action even before NASCAR's time, says NASCAR on FOX's Mike Joy.
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| OWNER POINT STANDINGS |
| Pos |
+/- |
Driver |
Car |
Points |
| 31 |
+177 |
Dave Blaney |
Toyota |
2882 |
| 32 |
+167 |
Regan Smith |
Chevrolet |
2872 |
| 33 |
+139 |
Reed Sorenson |
Dodge |
2844 |
| 34 |
+65 |
Robby Gordon |
Dodge |
2770 |
| 35 |
-- |
Brian Vickers |
Toyota |
2705 |
| 36 |
-13 |
Marcos Ambrose |
Toyota |
2692 |
| 37 |
-80 |
AJ Allmendinger |
Dodge |
2625 |
| 38 |
-126 |
Sam Hornish Jr. |
Dodge |
2579 |
| 39 |
-337 |
Ken Schrader |
Toyota |
2368 |
| 40 |
-409 |
Bill Elliott |
Ford |
2296 |
| Complete Owner Standings |
| Track Information |
| On Track With Larry Mac |
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Larry McReynolds, NASCAR on FOX analyst, scouts the track
Read his full analysis. |
| Track Vitals |
Location:
Homestead, FL |
Distance/Track Type:
1.5 Mile Oval 18-20 degree bank |
Nextel Cup Top Race Speed:
140.335 by Tony Stewart on 11/14/1999 |
Nextel Cup Top Qualifying Speed:
181.111 by Jamie McMurray on 11/14/2003 |
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