After qualifying 14th for the finale at Homestead, and having to start in the rear, Johnson took advantage of late-race pit stops and cautions to work his way up to the top spot to win yet another Sprint Cup title, tying him with Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt for the most in a career.
"I had this crazy weird calmness through the last couple of weeks and then even through the race amongst all the chaos we dealt with," Johnson said. "The fact that we ran behind those guys all night long -- fifth, sixth, wherever we ran -- there was just some calmness that was in me."
The No. 48 Lowe's team aided Johnson in claiming five wins, 11 top-five finishes, 16 top-10s and one pole award throughout the 36-race season. Johnson won at Atlanta, Fontana, Charlotte (in October), Martinsville (in October) and the season finale at Homestead.
"I don't know where that calmness came from," Johnson acknowledged. "I mean, I want to say that the dedication of the #se7en to (Hendrick Motorsports owner Rick Hendrick's late son) little Ricky, there's something in all of that. But there was just something really interesting and different about my calmness and the relaxed nature that I had in the car. I didn't know what the outcome would be, but I was very content and peaceful with whatever was coming my way, and then it ended up being the greatest thing in the world. So it's just wild."
Johnson's Oct. 9 win at Charlotte Motor Speedway propelled him into the Round of 8 while his Oct. 30 win solidified his berth in the Championship 4 at Homestead. Then finally, Sunday's win at Homestead added a seventh championship trophy to the driver's collection.
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