NASCAR

Johnson avoids accidents and seals record 4th title

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Updated Nov 23, 2009 6:30 PM ET
     
 

ABSTRACT Jimmie Johnson sped into NASCAR history, winning a record fourth straight Cup championship by making it through the season finale with a fifth-place finish.

FULL TEXT Denny Hamlin drove his Toyota to victory in the Ford 400, but it was Jimmie Johnson who sped into NASCAR history, winning a record fourth straight Cup series championship by surviving the season finale with a fifth-place finish at the Homestead-Miami Speedway. Johnson came into the race Sunday with an almost insurmountable 108-point lead in the Sprint Cup points race, needing only to finish 25th to secure the victory over his Hendrick Motorsports teammate Mark Martin. As it was, he widened his lead over Martin, and won by 141 points. When Johnson crossed the finish line, accompanied by a roar from a large contingent of his fans in the crowded grandstand, his crew chief, Chad Knaus, blurted into his headset: ''Four straight! Oh my God, I can't believe it! This is history! History!'' When he had finished doing what no NASCAR driver had done before, Johnson celebrated by doing what many had - he spun up a cloud of dust with a series of doughnuts in his racecar and drove to the victory lane through a fog of rubber and asphalt smoke. Through much of the 10-race chase toward the title, during which he won four races, Johnson heard criticism from some old-school NASCAR detractors for being, in no particular order, too corporate, too perfect, too good to be true. He answered that Sunday by refusing to lose. He led for 28 laps and escaped some tight spots in a race in which there were five crashes, seven caution periods and some pretty close quarters coming out of turns with three cars abreast. ''It was hair-raising at times,'' he said. ''I mean, everybody was trying to get their best finish for the end of the year, and I got trapped in a couple of positions I didn't really find enjoyable. ''There was a lot of pressure, and I'm definitely relieved the pressure is off. Man, I feel so light all of a sudden.'' Johnson earned his place among the pantheon of NASCAR drivers. Although other drivers respect him, none were willing to call him the best of his era. ''I will say that what he has done is incredible and as much as he wins, Jimmie's one of those guys that you want to hate,'' Jamie McMurray said. ''But he's one of the best guys out here. I think he's very deserving of what he has.'' Jeff Burton, who finished second Sunday, said, ''It's hard to say he's the best when you're out there racing against him, but you have to put him on the list.'' Johnson did not disagree. ''I think it's up there,'' he said. ''The cool thing is, we're not done yet.''
Tagged: Mark Martin, Jimmie Johnson

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