At the Homestead-Miami Speedway on Sunday evening, Jimmie
Johnson made history when he won the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
championship for the fourth consecutive time. Going into the Ford
400, the Californian only needed to finish 25th or better to earn the
lucrative title, but he pushed hard, as always, to finish a strong
fifth in the 36th and final race of the grueling season.
"I am blown away with the things we have been able to accomplish
in the last eight years in this sport," the newly crowned champion
said. "Obviously, what we have accomplished in the last four years is
unbelievable. To love this sport the way I do and respect it and its
history, to include the pioneers of this sport and the many eras you
have to look at, and to do something that no one has ever done is so
amazing. I had no clue this would happen.
"Winning the championship four times in eight years is unbelievable, and
I can't wait to see where this will end up. Years ago my goal was to win
one Sprint Cup race and now this has happened."
Regarding the race, Johnson added, "I was a little revved up tonight,
and I wanted to win it. I felt very good in the car, and I really
thought I had a chance to win. I had a couple of close calls with (Juan
Pablo) Montoya and Clint Bowyer. Montoya almost hit me twice, and Bowyer
got too close to me for several laps. After a series of hand gestures
and communication with the spotters, everything settled down."
The victor drove the Lowe's Chevrolet owned by the renowned Hendrick
Motorsports team, which secured its ninth car owner's championship in
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series competition, tying the organization with Petty
Enterprises for the all-time lead. Car owner Rick Hendrick has won nine
of the past 15 Sprint Cup titles.
Hendrick couldn't be at the race track as he was at home with his niece,
Alesha Gainey, and daughter of Rick's brother John, who is undergoing an
emergency liver transplant in North Carolina.
Said Marshall Carlson, Hendrick Motorsports executive vice president,
"Rick's commitment to his craft and excellence is unequalled among
anyone we have ever seen. His team is unrelenting in our search for
excellence is amazing, and he is an incredible leader."
In the final point standings, Johnson finished 141 markers ahead of
teammates Mark Martin, who finished 12th in the race, and 179 points in
front of Jeff Gordon.
Kurt Busch, Denny Hamlin, Tony Stewart, Greg Biffle, Juan Pablo Montoya,
Ryan Newman, Kasey Kahne, Carl Edwards and Brian Vickers finished behind
the leaders.
Hamlin shared the limelight with Johnson at Homestead by winning the
Ford 400, coming from the 38th starting position. He won for the fourth
time this season and for the eighth time in his short Sprint Cup career.
Also, he won his first race at Homestead.
The winner drove the FedEx Express Toyota fielded by Joe Gibbs Racing.
"We were patient all day," Hamlin said. "We gained 15 spots on our first
run but stalled out after that, although we kept working on it. We
continued to make adjustments and toward the end, we went from 18th to
sixth and then on to third and second, but we weren't content with that.
Great pit stops helped us and after the last one, the car took off and
it was game over."
Crew chief Mike Ford said, "Two great pit stops, possibly the fastest
of the year, made the difference. At times it is hard to get a car to
restart well, but we had what it took today."
Added co-owner J. D. Gibbs, "It is encouraging for our future and
the way everyone worked together. No one panicked, which makes a big
difference."
Hamlin was among 10 race leaders, and his 71 laps led topped the charts.
Jeff Burton drove gamely to secure second place in the Caterpillar
Chevrolet owned by Richard Childress Racing. "This is a great way to end
the season, and I am very proud of everyone on this team," he stated.
Burton's teammate Kevin Harvick finished third in the Shell/Pennzoil
Chevrolet for his seventh top-10 finish in nine races at Homestead. "The
car was loose, and we were going in every direction," he said. "But it
was great to end the season with a good run particularly with the speed
that was there."
Kurt Busch battled fiercely with Hamlin for many laps, to end up in the
fourth spot in his Miller Lite Dodge. A two-tire change toward the end
may have led to his undoing.
Regarding the pit strategy, Busch commented, "Pat (Tyson, crew chief)
said two tires and I said, 'Make sure nobody else does four tires.
Everybody did, but that's racing."
Discussing his race and the season, Busch said, "We had a great car,
and we put together a great effort tonight. We finished fourth overall
in the standings, and we fought hard every race, every lap of the way.
Johnson finished fifth.
Sixth through tenth were Jeff Gordon, Edwards, Kyle Busch, Martin Truex
Jr. and A. J. Allmendinger.
Martin came in 12th and said he had no complaints with the outcome. "I
got beat, but it also means we were better than anyone else other that
Jimmie Johnson. We had a tremendous year, and I am the luckiest guy in
the world."
Joey Logano scored a 24th-place finish, and he clinched the Raybestos
Rookie of the Year award. He becomes the third Joe Gibbs Racing driver
to win the coveted award.
Seven caution flags slowed the race for 31 laps and two incidents
involved Montoya and Stewart. The first occurred on the 117th lap when
the two drivers collided, sending Montoya to the pits for a lengthy
period of repairs.
Returning to the track some 30 laps behind the field, Montoya ran
into Stewart, sending the latter spinning down the front stretch.
NASCAR officials assessed Montoya with a two-lap penalty for aggressive
driving.
Stewart struggled back to finish 22nd and Montoya was far back in 38th,
32 laps behind the leader.
The Ford 400 concludes the 2009 Sprint Cup Series season, but the teams
will be working feverishly to prepare for the 2010 Daytona 500 that
takes place 84 days from now.
