Edwards Wins the Race, JIMMIE JOHNSON Wins the CUP

Today marked last time starts with their teams today. Some of note are Tony Stewart, Ryan Newman and Casey Mears.

The front-row first timers, David Ruetimann and Scott Speed charged to the line leading the pack and quickly moved up to the middle line and led the first lap of the race he got his first pole in. Good job man!

By lap 10 Carl Edwards got behind Matt Kenseth, the race leader, but his teammate wasn't going to give him anything. (Are you surprised?)

At lap 21, Carl was 1st, but Jimmie Johnson was running 18th. Carl did everything necessary to be in position to take advantage of any on-track issues that Jimmie Johnson might have as Carl led the most laps in the race.

Poised to strike is the best I can coin it, but it was for naught.

In the last 50, they were both in the top 10 as the rest of the drives struggled with their own achievement issue, like not letting a win streak end.

With 27 to go, the tension is cut... nothing can be done as far as I could tell. Kurt Busch is out after multiple issues, and Marcos Ambros is 45 laps down, IF Jimmie were to lose an engine and finish 41st, Carl has to win the race to take the Cup.

With 23 to go, Tony Stewart looked at Matt Kenseth, called "Here kitty kitty kitty", then passed him for the lead. This would be a poetic popular win for him, but gas mileage had something to say about that.

With a repeat fuel saving performance, Carl Edwards almost looked like he ran ot of gas as he slowed down to make it to the finish line on the fuel he had left in the tank and it works as Carl wins for the 9th time this year, the Ford 400 but Jimmy Johnson finished 15th and wins the Sprint Cup Championship.

Carl needed to be pushed to victory lane.. no mo gas!!

But,

JIMMY JOHNSON IS A THREE-PEAT CHAMPION
in 2008 at HOMESTEAD.

History is being made for us as we live through it.
Jimmy gets a three-peat.
Rick Hendrick gets his 8th championship.
Chad Knaus gets his own history mark as being the ONLY crew chief to win three seasons in a row.

What an honor to at least be a part of the fandom and reporting world of this historic day in NASCAR history.

~~~

Crossing the line of the Ford 400, Carl Edwards, Kevin Harvick, Jamie McMurray, Jeff Gordon and Clint Bowyer were the top 5.

(But we wouldn't have known just watching the coverage.. it was all Jimmie... rightfully so, but it would have been nice to know about Kevin, Jamie and Clint.)

See the rest of the info at:
Cup Race Results
Cup Final Standings

A.J. Allmendinger finished 11th in the No. 10 Dodge. Good job 'Dinger.

You know what this means for me? I will now have 3 Lowes championship diecasts in my collection. I was hoping to add a different scheme / sponsor to my display case.