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Edwards Coasts To Victory At Homestead And Johnson Crowned Champion

Homestead, Fla. – Even though Carl Edwards coasted to victory in the Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Jimmie Johnson walked away with his third consecutive NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship.

A near-capacity crowd arrived late but stayed around for the race and post-race celebration.

Johnson and Edwards started the day 141 points apart and Johnson only needed a 36th-place finish to secure the title. When the race ended, 69 points separated the two high-energy drivers and the new champion was scored in 15th place.
He drove the Lowe’s /Kobalt Tools Chevrolet.

In winning the crown, Johnson joined Cale Yarborough as the only other driver to win three consecutive titles.

“Winning the championship will take a while to sink in,” the extremely happy Johnson said. “I would never have dreamed that a kid from El Cajon could do something like this. There were times this season when we were not in the ballpark, but we came back. I am very proud of this team, as it has been a whole team effort.”

Commeting on the group of NASCAR champions that he has joined, he stated humbly, “I am in elite company. These are some of the guys that I worshipped as a kid and I am at a loss for words as to what to say.”

For Johnson’s Hendrick Motorsports team, it marks the company’s eighth Sprint Cup championship. “I never thought I would win one of these,” owner Rick Hendrick said. “This has been an outstanding season and I am so proud of this team.”

As the race neared its conclusion, several teams, including the Edwards team, were running low on fuel and they either had to take on fuel or slow their pace. Bob Osborne, crew chief for Edwards, ordered his driver to slow down. The winner inherited the lead on the 263rd lap when his teammate Matt Kenseth was forced to stop for a splash of fuel. He ended up 25th.

Edwards motored into the lead and notched his ninth victory of the season in the Office Depot Ford. H led the race five times for 157 laps.

Roush Fenway Racing continued to show its supremacy on 1.5-mile tracks, winning the Ford 400 for the fifth straight year and for the sixth time in 10 tries. And the last Ford driver to win nine races in a season was Richard Petty, who did it 39 years ago.

Although Edwards had his eye on the championship, he was thrilled to win the race. “I am sure glad we won today’s race, and it will make our off-season go well,” the Missouri native said. “It was a good weekend for us, finishing second in both series’ points is special. We came so close to the championship and my guys did their job. I think we performed well enough to win the championship.”

Said Roush, “It is good to win in front of the home crowd (of Ford fans). I sure thought we were going to run out of gas, but it didn’t happen. This team really came together.”

Kevin Harvick brought his Chevrolet home into second place after cars in front of him ran out of fuel. “I was in the cat bird’s seat and we were able to get a great finish.” For Harvick, he posted his sixth top-10 finish in eight HMS races.

“Our goal coming in here was to try to get fourth in the points and win a race, and we half of that accomplished,” he noted. “I think the first part of the year was really good for us, but we didn’t run well in the last part of the season. We did make a lot of headway at the end, and it’s the best 10 races at the end of a year we’ve had.”

Jamie McMurray brought another Roush Fenway Ford home third. “We were two laps short, and I was backing off at the end,” he said. “I am amazed that the No. 99 car gets that kind of fuel mileage.”

Fourth place went to Jeff Gordon, who failed to win a Cup for the first time in 14 years, but he did lead 16 laps. “We came from far back in the field and I am very proud of these guys. Today was a great day for us, and I can’t wait for the new season to start.”

Discussing Johnson’s title, the former champion said, “The 48 team had a phenomenal year, and they had the most impressive Cup season I’ve ever seen.”

Clint Bowyer finished fifth in a Chevrolet and in finishing sixth, Kasey Kahne gave Dodge its highest finish.

Seventh through 10th were Travis Kvapil, Casey Mears, Tony Stewart and Martin Truex Jr.

Stewart took the lead with 22 laps remaining but he had to make a fuel stop on the 256th lap, giving the lead to Kenseth. For Stewart, the race concluded his 10-year stint with Joe Gibbs Racing after 355 races and two Cup championships.

“We did everything we could do to win this race,” Stewart said. “It was awesome to be leading with 20 laps to go and driving away from field, but it didn’t happen. For me, it is hard to leave this team, as these guys are my family. When you like the guys you’re working for, it makes nights like tonight even harder.”

In the final point tally, Johnson led the way with Edwards, Greg Biffle, Harvick, Bowyer, Jeff Burton, Gordon, Denny Hamlin, Stewart and Kyle Busch forming the top 10. Kenseth and Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished 11th and 12th.
Regan Smith took the Raybestos rookie honors with his 34th place finish. “I am very proud to win this award, especially when you look at the names that have won it before. It is a big deal being the first DEI driver to get the award.”

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