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King Johnson Gets His Crown

The greatest driver NASCAR has ever known, some call him. We, the rest, refer to him simply as Jimmie Johnson. The history books will call him the first man to have won five consecutive Sprint Cups.

On Friday, the driver who once again set new records received the official recognition from NASCAR, the media and his colleagues at Wynn Las Vegas, during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Awards Ceremony.

Being NASCAR, we can't help from talking figures. In the 2010 season, the champion managed to win $13,393,186. He also received a check for $5.778 million from the presenter of the awards, comedian Frank Caliendo, to go with the trophy.

"I don't take any of these championships lightly. I cherish every one of them," Johnson said at the ceremony, according to NASCAR. "I am so proud to be a race-car driver and a driver in NASCAR's Sprint Cup Series. I am just extremely, extremely proud to be the champion. ... As shocked as you are, I'm equally as shocked to find myself in this position."

2010 saw perhaps one of the craziest Chases in years. The tightest ever, the Chase had its fair share of premieres. The runner up at the end of the season, Danny Hamlin, entered the history books as well, as the single driver in history to lose a points lead in the final race.

Now, all look (except Johnson's competitors) to another championship win in 2011. Far-fetched or not, the same happened last year, when Johnson won his fourth consecutive championship, that too a record.
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About the author: Daniel Patrascu
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Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies.
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