Johnson Wins 2016 Sprint Cup Championship With Win at Homestead

Robert Laberge / Getty Images

HOMESTEAD, FL – RIS – Jimmie Johnson joined Richard Petty and the late Dale Earnhardt, Sr. in the record books.  By winning the Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, he joins the two legends with seven NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship.  It was an unlikely event because Johnson struggled all day with his Chevrolet.  At the end, with his major competition either out of the race or damaged, he did what looked like the impossible by passing leader Kyle Larson and went on to victory during the final green-white-checker finish.

Johnson won for the first time at Homestead, one of only four current Sprint Cup Series tracks where Johnson had never tasted victory. He held off Larson, Kevin Harvick and Joey Logano on an overtime restart, sailing to the lead for the first time all day.

"I'm just beyond words," Johnson said as he climbed out of the car. "I didn't think the race was unfolding for us like we needed it to give us a chance. (Crew chief) Chad Knaus called a great strategy and made some great adjustments for this short run. Some luck came our way, and we were able to win the race and the championship.

"I'm just beyond words," Johnson said as he climbed out of the car. "I didn't think the race was unfolding for us like we needed it to give us a chance. (Crew chief) Chad Knaus called a great strategy and made some great adjustments for this short run. Some luck came our way, and we were able to win the race and the championship.”

Johnson had to deal with a setback right from the start. His car was pulled off the starting grid and returned to the garage for a brief time, where NASCAR ruled his team made an unapproved modification after inspection.

The No. 48 team was forced to begin the race in the rear of the field, but Johnson quickly shook off that trouble. By lap 47, he was already in the top five.

Edwards saw his title hopes crushed when he tried to block an aggressive Logano on a restart with 10 laps to go before slamming into the wall.

Edwards had been one of the fastest cars in the field most of the day and had put himself in position to win the race and the title.

“That was the race of my life up to that point," Edwards said. "I just pushed the issue as far as I could because I figured that was the race. I could feel him (Logano) a little, and I just thought I’d clear him or force him to lift. I just thought I’d have a little more time. And that’s how it ended.’’

With 131 laps to go, Busch made an unscheduled pit stop under the green flag with what he thought was a flat tire. As it turned out, there was nothing wrong with the tire – and he went a lap down essentially due to a false alarm.

Busch was able to stay out long enough to catch a debris caution, which allowed him to pit with the leaders and get back on the same pit cycle. That kept him in contention.

Logano was near the front all day, but only led six laps.  Non-contender, Kyle Larson led the most—132 laps and another non-contender—Kevin Harvick led 79 laps.  Johnson only led three laps—the last three laps of the race.

Johnson bested Logano by three points in the final Chase standings.

“It was eventful to say the least,” Logano said. “I hate being that close to a championship and not getting it. The team did a great job all day. We had a good race car and we put ourselves in position to win. No one made any mistakes or anything like that on our pit crew. That last restart, I was hoping to get Jimmie there and trying to get either to the inside or outside of him. I just timed it a little bit wrong to get underneath him. I just didn’t have enough time to get under him. We lost some time there and unfortunately, we finish second. The championship means so much and everyone forgets about second place. That is what stinks. But overall I am proud of this team. This will be motivation for next year. This hurts.”

The race ended the 2016 season with the next race being the 2017 Daytona 500 in February.

Unofficial Race Results for the Ford Ecoboost 400, Homestead-Miami Speedway

Fin, Str, Driver, Car, Lap, Pts, BPts, TLd, LLd, Status
1) 14, Jimmie Johnson (C), 48, Lowe's Chevrolet, 268, 40, 1, 3, , Running
2) 24, Kyle Larson, 42, Target Chevrolet, 268, 41, 7, 132, 2, Running
3) 1, Kevin Harvick, 4, Jimmy John's Chevrolet, 268, 39, 3, 79, 1, Running
4) 13, Joey Logano (C), 22, Shell Pennzoil Ford, 268, 37, 1, 6, , Running
5) 15, Jamie McMurray, 1, McDonald's Chevrolet, 268, 36, , , , Running
6) 9, Kyle Busch (C), 18, M&M's Toyota, 268, 35, 1, 1, , Running
7) 7, Matt Kenseth, 20, DEWALT FLEXVOLT Toyota, 268, 34, , , , Running
8) 12, AJ Allmendinger, 47, Kroger/Clorox Chevrolet, 268, 33, , , , Running
9) 4, Denny Hamlin, 11, FedEx Express Toyota, 268, 32, , , , Running
10) 26, Michael McDowell, 59, Thrivent Financial Chevrolet, 268, 31, , , , Running
11) 5, Chase Elliott #, 24, NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet, 268, 30, , , , Running
12) 17, Austin Dillon, 3, DOW Corning Chevrolet, 268, 29, , , , Running
13) 16, Kurt Busch, 41, Haas Automation/Monster Energy Chevrolet, 268, 28, , , , Running
14) 28, Paul Menard, 27, Richmond/Menards Chevrolet, 268, 27, , , , Running
15) 22, Brian Scott #, 44, Safeway Ford, 268, 26, , , , Running
16) 19, Alex Bowman(i), 88, Axalta Chevrolet, 268, 0, , , , Running
17) 21, Greg Biffle, 16, Roush Performance Ford, 267, 24, , , , Running
18) 23, Casey Mears, 13, GEICO Chevrolet, 267, 23, , , , Running
19) 30, Danica Patrick, 10, TaxACT Chevrolet, 266, 22, , , , Running
20) 20, Trevor Bayne, 6, AdvoCare Ford, 266, 21, , , , Running
21) 32, Landon Cassill, 38, Florida Lottery Ford, 266, 20, , , , Running
22) 11, Tony Stewart, 14, Always a Racer/Mobil 1 Chevrolet, 266, 19, , , , Running
23) 33, Clint Bowyer, 15, 5-hour Energy Chevrolet, 266, 18, , , , Running
24) 27, Chris Buescher #, 34, Love's Travel Stops Ford, 266, 17, , , , Running
25) 3, Ryan Newman, 31, Caterpillar Chevrolet, 264, 16, , , , Accident
26) 8, * Ryan Blaney #, 21, Motorcraft/Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center Ford, 264, 15, , , , Running
27) 31, * Matt DiBenedetto(i), 49, NASCAR Heat Evolution Toyota, 264, 14, , , , Running
28) 40, Michael Annett, 46, Pilot Flying J Chevrolet, 264, 13, , , , Running
29) 36, David Ragan, 23, Dr Pepper Toyota, 264, 12, , , , Running
30) 18, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., 17, Fastenal Ford, 262, 11, , , , Accident
31) 38, Jeffrey Earnhardt #, 83, Starter Toyota, 261, 10, , , , Running
32) 37, * Reed Sorenson, 55, RoyalTeak.com/Backyard Company Toyota, 259, 9, , , , Running
33) 34, Ty Dillon(i), 95, Advil Chevrolet, 258, 0, , , , Accident
34) 10, Carl Edwards (C), 19, ARRIS Toyota, 257, 7, 8, 47, , Accident
35) 2, Brad Keselowski, 2, Miller Lite Ford, 257, 6, , , , Accident
36) 6, Martin Truex Jr., 78, Bass Pro Shops/TRACKER Boats Toyota, 257, 5, , , , Accident
37) 29, Kasey Kahne, 5, Great Clips Chevrolet, 257, 4, , , , Accident
38) 35, * Regan Smith, 7, Nikko RC/Toy State Chevrolet, 255, 3, , , , Accident
39) 39, Dylan Lupton(i), 32, Can-Am/Corvetteparts.net Ford, 250, 0, , , , Running
40) 25, Aric Almirola, 43, Smithfield Ford, 213, 1, , , , Running

# = Rookie, (i) Ineligible for driver points in this series
Fin = Finish, Str = Start, Pts = Total Points, BPs = Lap Leader Bns Pts, TLd = Times Led, LLd = Laps Led. 
Average Speed: 128.869 MPH
Time of Race: 3 Hrs, 07 Mins, 10 Secs.
Margin of Victory: 0.466 Seconds
Lead Changes: 20 among 6 drivers Cautions: 7 for 33 laps

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Unofficial Points Report: Ford EcoBoost 400, Homestead-Miami Speedway

Pos Driver                BPts Pts  Ldr     Nxt   Sts  Pole Won  T5s  T10s DNF PPos  G/L
1.  Jimmie Johnson (C)  30   5040 0       0     36   1    5    11   16   4   2     1
2.  Joey Logano (C)     35   5037 -3      -3    36   3    3    16   26   3   1     -1
3.  Kyle Busch (C)       41   5035 -5      -2    36   2    4    17   25   5   4     1
4.  Carl Edwards (C)     27   5007 -33     -28   36   6    3    9    18   6   3     -1
5.  Matt Kenseth         31   2330 -2710   -2677 36   1    2    8    19   4   5     0
6.  Denny Hamlin         31   2320 -2720   -10   36   1    3    12   22   4   6     0
7.  Kurt Busch           12   2296 -2744   -24   36   2    1    9    21   2   7     0
8.  Kevin Harvick       40   2289 -2751   -7    36   2    4    17   27   3   11    3
9.  Kyle Larson         15   2288 -2752   -1    36   0    1    10   15   2   12    3
10. Chase Elliott #      15   2285 -2755   -3    36   2    0    10   17   2   10    0
11. Martin Truex Jr.     40   2271 -2769   -14   36   5    4    8    17   4   8     -3
12. Brad Keselowski     36   2267 -2773   -4    36   1    4    16   22   3   9     -3
13. Jamie McMurray       0    2231 -2809   -36   36   0    0    2    12   2   13    0
14. Austin Dillon        8    2223 -2817   -8    36   2    0    4    13   3   14    0
15. Tony Stewart         7    2211 -2829   -12   28   0    1    5    8    4   15    0
16. Chris Buescher #     4    2169 -2871   -42   36   0    1    2    2    4   16    0
17. Kasey Kahne          0    898  -4142   -1271 36   0    0    3    13   2   17    0
18. Ryan Newman          8    895  -4145   -3    36   0    0    2    10   3   18    0
19. Aj Allmendinger      5    830  -4210   -65   36   0    0    2    9    4   19    0
20. Ryan Blaney #        2    812  -4228   -18   36   0    0    3    9    2   20    0
21. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 1    772  -4268   -40   36   0    0    4    6    5   21    0
22. Trevor Bayne        2    762  -4278   -10   36   0    0    2    5    2   22    0
23. Greg Biffle          6    691  -4349   -71   36   1    0    1    3    7   23    0
24. Danica Patrick      6    689  -4351   -2    36   0    0    0    0    3   24    0
25. Paul Menard          5    678  -4362   -11   36   0    0    0    3    6   25    0
26. Aric Almirola        1    638  -4402   -40   36   0    0    0    1    6   26    0
27. Clint Bowyer         2    628  -4412   -10   36   0    0    0    3    2   27    0
28. Casey Mears          2    556  -4484   -72   36   0    0    0    0    3   28    0
29. Landon Cassill       1    530  -4510   -26   36   0    0    0    0    1   29    0
30. Michael McDowell     0    500  -4540   -30   31   0    0    0    2    2   30    0
31. Brian Scott #        2    481  -4559   -19   36   0    0    1    1    5   32    1
32. Dale Earnhardt Jr.   3    461  -4579   -20   18   0    0    5    6    4   31    -1
33. David Ragan          7    455  -4585   -6    36   0    0    0    0    5   34    1
34. Regan Smith          6    452  -4588   -3    35   0    0    1    2    6   33    -1
35. Matt Dibenedetto(I)  1    386  -4654   -66   35   0    0    0    1    9   35    0
36. Michael Annett       2    328  -4712   -58   35   0    0    0    0    4   36    0
37. Cole Whitt           2    276  -4764   -52   26   0    0    0    0    5   37    0
38. Jeff Gordon          1    218  -4822   -58   8    0    0    0    2    0   38    0
39. Reed Sorenson        0    198  -4842   -20   28   0    0    0    0    4   39    0
40. Josh Wise            0    168  -4872   -30   28   0    0    0    0    8   40    0
41. Jeffrey Earnhardt #  1    159  -4881   -9    22   0    0    0    0    2   41    0
42. Brian Vickers       0    86   -4954   -73   5    0    0    0    1    1   42    0
43. Bobby Labonte       2    61   -4979   -25   4    0    0    0    0    0   43    0
44. David Gilliland      0    46   -4994   -15   2    0    0    0    0    0   44    0
45. Michael Waltrip      2    42   -4998   -4    2    0    0    0    0    0   45    0
46. Boris Said           0    17   -5023   -25   1    0    0    0    0    0   46    0
47. Patrick Carpentier  0    11   -5029   -6    2    0    0    0    0    0   47    0
48. Gray Gaulding        0    6    -5034   -5    2    0    0    0    0    2   48    0
49. Eddie Macdonald      0    5    -5035   -1    1    0    0    0    0    0   49    0
50. Alex Kennedy         0    5    -5035   0     1    0    0    0    0    1   50    0
51. Robert Richardson Jr.     0    3       -5037 -2   1    0    0    0    0   1     51    0
52. Alex Bowman(I)       0    0    -5040   -3    10   1    0    0    3    1   52    0
53. Ty Dillon(I)        0    0    -5040   -3    11   0    0    0    0    1   53    0
54. Dylan Lupton(I)     0    0    -5040   -3    4    0    0    0    0    0   54    0
55. Ryan Reed(I)         0    0    -5040   -3    1    0    0    0    0    0   55    0
56. Jeb Burton(I)       0    0    -5040   -3    2    0    0    0    0    0   56    0
57. Joey Gase(I)         0    0    -5040   -3    6    0    0    0    0    0   57    0
58. Ryan Ellis(I)        0    0    -5040   -3    4    0    0    0    0    0   58    0
59. Timmy Hill(I)        0    0    -5040   -3    1    0    0    0    0    0   59    0
60. D J Kennington(I)   0    0    -5040   -3    1    0    0    0    0    0   60    0
61. Justin Allgaier(I)   0    0    -5040   -3    1    0    0    0    0    1   61    0
62. Cody Ware(I)         0    0    -5040   -3    0    0    0    0    0    0   62    0