The fight during Sunday's Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway between Jimmie Johnson and Brad Keselowski, despite seemingly insurmountable odds against Johnson, was touted as a could-be situation for him, if something went wrong for Keselowski during the final race of the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Season.
But alas, thought many watched with baited breath, nothing went wrong with the No. 2 Dodge from Penske Racing. And in fact, that something did go wrong with the No. 48 Chevy of Johnson's.
After the half-way point, it still looked like something unique or exciting could happen by the end of the race. (As it was, Johnson had a good enough car to make this an exciting race.)
But then things went haywire. On a pit stop, a lugnut was left off the LF wheel on the No. 48. Then a few laps later something broke on his car and he was done. Game over for Jimmie Johnson and no 6th title.
And it goes...
Brad Keselowski is the 2012 Sprint Cup Champion.
This was owner Roger Penske's first title in NASCAR's premier series. He's been in the sport since 1972 chasing this elusive dream.
Keselowski's championship came in his 125th start, the fewest since Jeff Gordon captured his first of four titles in 1995 in 93 starts.
At age 28, Brad is the eighth-youngest driver to win a first NASCAR Sprint Cup championship.
Brad also joins Bobby Labonte as the only two drivers to win both a NASCAR Nationwide and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship.
This is Dodge's fifth championship, and the first since 1975 with Richard Petty. Too bad they pulled out of the scene for next year.
Congrats to Brad Keselowski and Penske Racing. A job well done... or a job, whose integral component included patient racing, got them to the biggest finish line of them all.
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