Johnson wins second Nextel Cup championship

HOMESTEAD, Fla. - Jimmie Johnson has won his second-straight Nextel Cup championship finishing seventh in the Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Johnson, who needed to finish 18th or better, is the first driver to win consecutive championships since Jeff Gordon in 1997 and '98.

Matt Kenseth won the race, followed by Kurt Busch and Denny Hamlin.

Johnson's teammate Jeff Gordon finished second in the points standings, 77 points shy of a fifth championship.

Homestead Results Ford 400 results at Homestead-Miami Speedway
Homestead, Fla.
Lap length: 1.5 miles
(Start position in parentheses)

1. (4) Matt Kenseth, Ford, 267 laps, 131.888 mph., $359,941.

2. (5) Kurt Busch, Dodge, 267, $263,808.

3. (32) Denny Hamlin, Chevrolet, 267, $208,000.

4. (11) Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 267, $181,061.

5. (10) Carl Edwards, Ford, 267, $134,025.

6. (15) Martin Truex Jr., Chevrolet, 267, $126,720.

7. (1) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 267, $157,736.

8. (9) Jeff Burton, Chevrolet, 267, $119,866.

9. (6) Mark Martin, Chevrolet, 267, $85,250.

10. (7) David Ragan, Ford, 267, $126,175.

11. (30) David Stremme, Dodge, 267, $73,100.

12. (23) Dave Blaney, Toyota, 267, $98,408.

13. (37) Greg Biffle, Ford, 267, $86,450.

14. (25) Jamie McMurray, Ford, 267, $78,950.

15. (33) Juan Pablo Montoya, Dodge, 267, $108,350.

16. (21) Casey Mears, Chevrolet, 267, $84,525.

17. (26) Dale Jarrett, Toyota, 266, $66,325.

18. (2) Ryan Newman, Dodge, 266, $102,200.

19. (8) Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 266, $114,661.

20. (18) Kyle Busch, Chevrolet, 266, $86,550.

21. (38) Ricky Rudd, Ford, 266, $100,108.

22. (27) Reed Sorenson, Dodge, 266, $92,933.

23. (36) Bobby Labonte, Dodge, 266, $105,411.

24. (3) Kasey Kahne, Dodge, 265, $113,016.

25. (35) David Reutimann, Toyota, 265, $82,633.

26. (34) Jeremy Mayfield, Chevrolet, 265, $87,308.

27. (41) Robby Gordon, Ford, 264, $67,350.

28. (43) Bill Elliott, Ford, 264, $86,264.

29. (42) Tony Raines, Chevrolet, 264, $74,850.

30. (14) Tony Stewart, Chevrolet, 264, $112,661.

31. (24) J.J. Yeley, Chevrolet, 263, $93,833.

32. (12) David Gilliland, Ford, 263, $90,414.

33. (16) Sterling Marlin, Chevrolet, 263, $63,950.

34. (40) Kyle Petty, Dodge, 263, $72,347.

35. (39) Paul Menard, Chevrolet, 262, $62,600.

36. (13) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, 261, $107,783.

37. (29) Sam Hornish Jr., Dodge, 254, $62,175.

38. (31) Elliott Sadler, Dodge, 250, $80,320.

39. (19) Clint Bowyer, Chevrolet, 242, $69,775.

40. (28) Patrick Carpentier, Dodge, 225, $69,550.

41. (22) Johnny Sauter, Chevrolet, accident, 157, $61,345.

42. (17) Brian Vickers, Toyota, accident, 154, $61,045.

43. (20) Johnny Benson, Toyota, engine, 73, $61,147.

Race Statistics

Time of Race: 3 hours, 2 minutes, 12 seconds.

Margin of Victory: 0.852 seconds.

Caution Flags: Seven for 42 laps.

Lead Changes: 25 among 11 drivers.

Lap Leaders: J.Johnson 1; R.Newman 2-3; M.Kenseth 4-47; Ku.Busch 48-49; R.Newman 50-53; M. Kenseth 54-63; Ku.Busch 64-78; Ky.Busch 79; D.Hamlin 80-85; M. Kenseth 86-129; R.Newman 130; D.Blaney 131; C.Mears 132; M. Kenseth 133-149; M.Truex Jr. 150; M.Kenseth 151-165; D.Hamlin 166-177; M.Kenseth 178-193; M. Truex Jr. 194; M.Kenseth 195-243; D.Hamlin 244; D.Blaney 245; D.Ragan 246; J.McMurray 247; M.Truex Jr. 248; M.Kenseth 249-267.

Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): M.Kenseth, 8 times for 214 laps; D.Hamlin, 3 times for 19 laps; Ku.Busch, 2 times for 17 laps; R.Newman, 3 times for 7 laps; M.Truex Jr., 3 times for 3 laps; D.Blaney, 2 times for 2 laps; C.Mears, 1 time for 1 lap; J.McMurray, 1 time for 1 lap; J.Johnson, 1 time for 1 lap; Ky.Busch, 1 time for 1 lap; D.Ragan, 1 time for 1 lap.

Final Point Standings: 1. J.Johnson, 6,723. 2. J.Gordon, 6,646. 3. C.Bowyer, 6,377. 4. M.Kenseth, 6,298. 5. Ky.Busch, 6,293. 6. T.Stewart, 6,242. 7. Ku.Busch, 6,231. 8. J.Burton, 6,231. 9. C.Edwards, 6,222. 10. K.Harvick, 6,199. 11. M. Truex Jr., 6,164. 12. D.Hamlin, 6,143.