Jimmie Johnson Seizes Record-Tying 7th NASCAR Championship

Stewart ends his career with 618 starts, 49 victories and three Cup championships, the final of which was won at Homestead in 2011.

He left with his seventh championship.

Out of the four drivers who qualified to run for the Cup title, Johnson was officially Mr. Slowpoke for much of Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

But when the race restarted with 10 laps to go, Edwards and another Chaser, Joey Logano, made contact that resulted in a larger multi-car wreck that collected the cars of Martin Truex Jr., Brad Keselowski, Kasey Kahne, Chase Elliott and Regan Smith. His lap of 175.959 miles per hour was well behind the pole-winning speed of 177.637 miles per hour by Kevin Harvick, but ahead of his three championship competitors.

Lap Leaders: K. Harvick 1-31; C. Edwards 32-34; K. Harvick 35-67; C. Edwards 68-70; K. Harvick 71-85; J. Logano 86-91; C. Edwards 92-117; K. Larson 118-121; C. Edwards 122-125; K. Larson 126-135; C. Edwards 136-143; K. Larson 144-154; C. Edwards 155; K. Larson 156-172; C. Edwards 173; K. Larson 174-208; C. Edwards 209; K. Larson 210-253; K. Busch 254; K. Larson 255-265; J. Johnson 266-268.

Despite the deficit, Johnson defiantly said he wished they would line up immediately after qualifying and settle the championship. The one thing that we have in our corner is we have Jimmie Johnson.

“That was the race of my life up to that point”, Edwards said.

The win was the 15th for Hendrick Motorsports and seventh for crew chief Chad Knaus, who now only trails Dale Inman’s record eight.

“I never thought Id ever see a seventh championship in my lifetime by any driver, ” said three-time champion Darrell Waltrip. But there was a lot of pressure to keep it going.

The 36 other drivers are expected to give them plenty of space around the track, not wanting to affect the outcome. “But I am more aware of what’s going on in my mind, what I’m conscious about, what am I thinking about and how to become the best”. I still like watching amusing TV shows, I still want to get my mind off of things.

“My suggestions to [the other crew chiefs] is don’t do something that puts you out on a limb”. When you get older and dont win as much, you get cheered a bit more. The 13-point difference bumped Petty to an 11-point victory in the final standings.

“Anybody who is winning gets booed”, said Johnson, who as one of the Chase’s championship four drivers, can tie Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt with a seventh Cup championship Sunday in the Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

While Busch and Johnson are former champions, Harvick said the challenges have changed since NASCAR adapted its elimination format.

“Being that I don’t have a dog in the hunt, I don’t care”, Petty said.

Sprint’s exit means NASCAR will enter a new entitlement agreement for just the fourth time since 1971, when RJ Reynolds began its 33-year sponsorship of the top series through its Winston brand. In a season that started with a 16th place finish at the Daytona 500, Johnson has stormed back to dominate the campaign and qualify for the Championship 4 before taking home the championship from Homstead. No. 7 would be really special. He’s noticed more cheers in the last few years, but he doesn’t need any approval. “This is a good way to bring attention”.

Even the pole victor for today’s Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Kevin Harvick, knows most of the attention will be focused a little deeper in the field.

Homestead, Fla. – On the eve of Jimmie Johnson’s attempt to make NASCAR history, the six-time champion planned to go for a little run. “I didn’t think the race was unfolding for us like we needed it to give us a chance”. “I think anybody thats winning gets booed. He’s raced for and lost a championship, he’s feuded with top drivers, he’s worked hard to shake the label as a spoiled daddy’s boy who coasted to the top. You don’t always do what you want to do when you got to look after just three cars. “I was actually stunned because we had so many ups and downs in that race”. (But) through the way I experience things with our fans, the great articles I see written, the way people talk about me, I feel like I’ve received a lot of respect. Logano and Edwards are chasing their first championship.

Stewart openly lamented this year how the sport’s ever-increasing dependency on aerodynamics has taken away from the advantage his raw driving talent used to afford him.