Sprint Cup Homestead Wrapup

Ford 400

Homestead-Miami (Fla.) Speedway

The winner and how he did it: Carl Edwards didn't win the championship but fought the good fight. He won two of the season's final three races and won more races (9) than anyone else.

As is usually the case: The Sprint Cup champion, for the third year in a row, was Jimmie Johnson, who finished 15^th in a race in which he needed only to finish 36^th.

Boomerang: Matt Kenseth, who failed to win a race for the first time since 2001, almost won but ran out fuel. Jeff Gordon, who failed to win for the first time since 1993, finished fourth.

Assorted trivialities and historical notables:

Jamie McMurray finished third in each of the final three races of the season.

Regan Smith won Raybestos Rookie of the Year, aided immeasurably by the failure of Sam Hornish Jr. to make the field in the final race. At present, Smith has no ride for next year.

Though Johnson won the championship, Edwards won more races (9-7) and also led Johnson in top-five finishes (19-15) and top 10s (27-22).

NASCAR's two winners of three straight championships were spaced exactly 30 years apart. Cale Yarborough won titles in 1976, '77 and '78. Johnson won in 2006, '07 and '08.

Smith (34^th) was the only finishing rookie.

Edwards' victory ended a four-year string where every Chase was decided by a wider margin. Though Johnson entered the race with a lead of 141 points, the final margin was 69. In 2007, it was 77.

In 2007, Johnson had 6,723 points. This year he finished with 6,684.

Mentionable stuff they said later:

"This track is great for racing, but it's bad if you're trying to pass." - Chad Knaus, championship crew chief.

"Matt (Kenseth) ain't stopping, Carl, and if you don't slow down, you are stopping, and not on pit road." - Bob Osborne, to Carl Edwards during the final laps.

"We made the right call. The '99' just made it." - runner-up Kevin Harvick

"I'm amazed the ‘99' can save that much fuel and still go that fast." - Jamie McMurray, third.

"Coming from 37^th, I couldn't be more proud." - Jeff Gordon, fourth.

"Hard work's what won it. Early the season, we were getting out butts kicked, and everybody had to buckle down, and they did it." - Jimmie Johnson

"I don't know if you can ever get over that." - Regan Smith, referring to being deprived of a victory at Talladega.