The final race of the year, Sunday's Ford 400 from the Homestead-Miami Speedway was definitely one for the books. Going into the race, Jimmie Johnson had a 141 point cushion over Carl Edwards in second as he pursued his third consecutive championship.

Edwards began the day from the fourth-spot, while Johnson struggled in qualifying and was forced to roll off deep in the pack in the 30th-spot.

Edwards did not hesitate to make a move for the lead. Passing teammate Matt Kenseth, the No. 99 Office Depot Ford Fusion led for the first time on Lap 13. Needing to lead the most laps, Edwards was able to keep his car out front through green flag pit stops and the first round of yellow flag stops.

Starting the day in the 30th-spot, Jimmie Johnson wasted no time working his way through the pack. Gaining nine spots in ten laps, Johnson methodically worked through traffic and calmly made headway towards the front. By Lap 100, the No. 48 was knocking on the door of the top-10, running in eleventh and chasing teammate Casey Mears for the spot. At that same 100 lap mark, Edwards enjoyed close to a six-second lead over David Ragan in second.

Trying to get an idea of how the car was working just a handful of laps before green flags stops, crew chief Chad Knaus called on his driver on Lap 118. Johnson described a loose condition through the corners, but explained, "Really it's pretty good. I just got off my rhythm with these guys catching us."

Green flag stops began on Lap 125 when the Joe Gibbs Racing stable hit pit road for service. Johnson hit the access road with the majority of the leaders the following lap, with Edwards pitting from the lead on Lap 127.

Leading at the halfway mark, Edwards led the field to the pit road six laps later under the caution flag. Opting for two tires, the Bob Osborne-led crew got the No. 99 off pit road first and kept him out front. Chad Knaus called for four tires under the same round of stops, dropping the No. 48 three spots to twelfth. Apologizing for losing him spots on pit road, Knaus explained, "You'll like those four tires though."

Mired mid-pack thanks to lapped traffic, Johnson was racing two and three-wide with cars a lap down. After Kurt Busch brought out the caution flag on Lap 152, Johnson expressed his frustration with the lapped cars and the No. 70 in particular. Trying to keep his driver calm, cool and collected, Knaus radioed Johnson saying, "I don't even know who's in the 70 this week. I don't know why he's racing us so hard."

Taking the yellow flag under that caution, Edwards clinched the five bonus points for leading the most laps.

To make matters more nerve-racking for Johnson, the driver made the call to stay out on the track while everyone behind him came in for service. Racing once again in the thick of traffic, Johnson was able to get past David Reutimann and Casey Mears to move into the eight-spot.

When Marcos Ambrose brought out the caution on Lap 168, the leaders hit pit road with a variety of pit strategy. Edwards and Johnson opted for four fresh Goodyears, while a number of teams took two tires and Jeff Gordon stayed on the track.

Taking a chance on pit strategy, Knaus called the No. 48 into the pits for four tires and fuel when the yellow flag flew on Lap 178. One of the only lead lap cars to hit pit road, Knaus seemed to be planning his late-race strategy with eighty-eight laps to go.

The strategy paid off for the No. 48 team when Reed Sorenson brought out the caution flag on Lap 199. With the leaders hitting pit road for service with just sixty-eight laps to go, their previous stop allowed them to make the call for two tires. Beating the rest of the field off pit road, Johnson took the lead for the first time all evening long.

Racing hard with Denny Hamlin for the third-spot on Lap 204, Edwards got real loose with the No. 11 on his left rear and was forced to give up the spot. When the caution flew once again on Lap 207, crew chief Bob Osborne came over the radio telling his driver, "Long gears, buddy, long gears." Winning the race at Texas on fuel mileage, Osborne and Edwards are among the best when it comes to saving fuel.

With twenty-six laps to go, Osborne came back over the radio reminding his driver, "Okay bud, it's fuel mileage time now." For Edwards - who was running third - he wanted a few more laps. "Can I go four or five more laps?" Edwards asked his crew chief. "I think I can get the lead."

On the other end of pit road, Chad Knaus sent the message to his driver they would not be in a position to gamble on fuel and that they were going to have to come for service. Running in the fifth-spot, Johnson brought the No. 48 Lowe's/Kobalt Tools Chevrolet to pit road on Lap 254.

While the majority of the leaders came to pit road, Osborne was constantly in Edwards' ear urging him to back it off. Worried that Kenseth was not going to stop, Osborne reassured his driver the No. 17 would run out before them.

Osborne's calculations were spot on once again as Kenseth ran out with three laps to go. Benefiting from a fifteen second lead over the next car, Edwards was able to back it off just as he had in Texas. Running out coming off Turn 4, Edwards scored his ninth victory of the year and second of the weekend.

With his late-race pit stop, Johnson was shuffled back in the running order and ended the year with a fifteenth-place finish. Good enough to beat Edwards by sixty-nine points, Johnson scored his third consecutive Cup Series championship - tying Cale Yarborough as the only driver to accomplish the feat.