"How 'bout some history?!" Johnson said at the finish line. "History, boys. No one ever -- ever! I don't know how to thank you guys. Thank you so much."
Truth be told, Johnson could have lost the title only if all nature's elements would have conspired against him. He only needed to place 25th at Ford's 400 for his victory to be complete, but, as usual, he wanted to finish in style.
He led the race until lap 33, when he lost it to Tony Stewart. He never came back to first and, at times, got as far as 24th when he pitted out of sequence under the fourth caution of the day. Fortunately for him, Martin had to do the same thing.
Even if his win was not complete, setting a new NASCAR record took its toll on Johnson's...speech.
"The truth of it is, to do something that's never been done in this sport -- to love the sport like I do and respect it like I do -- and the greats: Petty, Earnhardt, Gordon ... to do something they've never done is so awesome. To win four championships in eight years, what this team has done ... I don't know where to start. It's unbelievable," NASCAR quoted Johnson as saying.
Mark Martin admitted defeat with style: "My equipment is just as good, but I am not as good as Jimmie Johnson," Martin told Autosport. "We are lacking something here and you know, as a group I think just a little bit and we will work on it for next year. But it was really a privilege to even have a crack at it."
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