HOMESTEAD, FL — Carl Edwards did all he could in the Sprint Cup Series season finale at the Homestead-Miami Speedway on Sunday but it wasn’t enough to dethrone Jimmie Johnson. Just as he did on Saturday in the Nationwide Series race, Edwards won the Ford 400 on fuel mileage but fell short on points, finishing second in the championship chase.
 
He saw his title hopes go to the wayside in the Nationwide race with Clint Bowyer finishing fifth and securing the championship.
 
Sunday, he led the most laps, 157 of the 267-lap race, and won yet again but the 141-point deficit Johnson held over him entering the day was too much to tackle. Johnson simply needed a 36th-place finish in order to wrap things up. He finished 15th.
 
The 33-year-old Johnson is only the second driver in history to claim back-to-back-to-back championships. Cale Yarborough was the first, notching the honors in 1976, ’77 and ’78.
 
“That’s elite company,” Johnson said of the feat. “I can’t believe it. I’m kind of at a loss for words.
 
“It hasn’t sunken in yet but I am just so proud of this race team and the fight that this team has had in it over the course of the year. There were times this season when we weren’t even in the ballpark but these guys buckled down and worked hard.”
 
Crew chief Chad Knaus is now the first shot-caller in NASCAR history to win three straight titles.
 
It is the eighth championship overall for car owner Rick Hendrick.

The race win was the ninth for the Roush Fenway Racing duo of Edwards and crew chief Bob Osborne this season.
 
“Well, I'm sure glad we won today's race, because it will make it a little bit easier to deal with the off season and coming so close to the championship,” Edwards said. “We ran really well this season. My guys performed well enough to win a championship this season. And considering how well Jimmie performed, I don't think that's a small feat.”
 
Had the season been a race or two longer, things may have gone Edwards’s way, as he closed the points gap to within 69.
 
For a while, a window opened for Edwards and it seemed plausible that he just might be able to sneak in an upset. He qualified the No. 99 Ford fourth on Friday on the 1.5-mile track while Johnson qualified his No. 48 Chevrolet a dismal 30th.
 
Edwards tried to capitalize early, moving into the race lead just 13 laps in. He led for the majority of the first portion of the race, including through the first exchange of pit stops under green flag conditions. The first caution flag of the day did not fall until lap 71 after Aric Almirola spun.
 
Edwards ushered in the halfway point of the race at lap 134 out front but by that time Johnson had crept into the ninth position.
 
Four-time champion Jeff Gordon failed to win a race this season, ending a 14-year streak. Gordon was a rookie in 1993 but did not win until ’94. Since, he’d won at least two races every year until this season. His last win fell in October of 2007 at the Lowe’s Motor Speedway.

His Steve Letarte-led team took a chance on lap 170 after Marcos Ambrose hit the wall. Under the caution flag, Gordon stayed on track while the majority of the field pit. He inherited the lead. After stops, Johnson was plagued in race traffic, restarting from the 14th position. Edwards was fifth.
 
A caution flag fell again on lap 179 after Chase contender Jeff Burton spun. Johnson again hit pit road for four new tires and took the restart from the 18th spot.
 
The older tires bit Gordon on the next run, as he lost the lead to Matt Kenseth on lap 186. Kenseth, the 2003 champion, was also seeking his first win of the year. His last win fell in the season finale here one year ago. The last season he was winless was 2001.
 
On lap 200, Reed Sorenson hit the wall dropping a yellow and bringing another round of pit stops. Johnson was the big winner off of pit road, taking two tires only and exiting with the lead. Edwards took on four and lined up in third for the restart.
 
Kevin Harvick and early leader Gordon pitted under caution on lap 208 after Kurt Busch hit the wall. With 59 laps remaining, Harvick’s crew eyed the finish, predicting that they could go the distance on fuel.
 
The field stayed under green for an extended run with Kenseth showing the way. With 23 laps remaining, Tony Stewart ran down Kenseth and made the pass, moving him into the lead for the first time. His fuel was running low, however, and the team predicted he would be 10 laps shy.
 
With 15 to go, Juan Pablo Montoya dropped down pit road surrendering a spot within the top 10. At the same time, Dale Earnhardt Jr. pulled his Chevrolet into the garage after the right front brake caliber broke in his machine. Earnhardt struggled all day and was already two laps down at the time. He finished 41st and fell to 12th in the standings.
 
13 laps remained when Johnson made his final stop of the day. He took on fuel and right side tires.
 
One lap later, leader Stewart pulled his Camry down pit road for fuel only giving Kenseth the top spot.
 
Edwards, who gambled two races ago in Texas to win on fuel, loomed in second.
 
With nothing to lose and the championship seemingly determined as the laps clicked down, Edwards stayed on track chasing his teammate.
 
With three laps remaining, Kenseth’s fuel tank ran dry, giving the position to Edwards. With nearly a 14-second lead over David Ragan, Edwards slowed his pace tremendously in order to conserve fuel.

Ragan and Kyle Busch ran out of fuel on the white flag lap, allowing Kevin Harvick, Jamie McMurray, Gordon and Clint Bowyer to claim positions two through five.
 
Edwards ran out of gas on his way to victory lane.
 
Runner-up Harvick finished fourth in the final point standings, equaling his best showing from 2006.
 
“That was our goal coming in here to try to get fourth in the points and win a race and we got half of that accomplished,” Harvick said. “The car was good from the time when it loaded, and I really didn't think we were even racing the 99. I was just going as fast as I needed to go to keep the 26 (McMurray) behind me. I watched the 6 (Ragan) run out of gas, and I knew the 26 pitted with us.”
 
It was the third straight third-place finish for McMurray.

“I really thought the 29 was going to be the car to beat,” McMurray said. “I saw the 18 (Kyle Busch) and the 6 (Ragan) run out, when we took the white, I was like, “I don't care if I run right now.” When you think you're racing for a win, it's worth it to take that chase to maybe run out.”

Kasey Kahne, Travis Kvapil, Casey Mears, Stewart and Martin Truex Jr. closed out the top 10.

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