MIAMI (CNN) — Jimmie Johnson joined legends Richard Petty and the late Dale Earnhardt Sr. as the only seven-time champions in Sprint Cup Series history with his victory in the Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Sunday afternoon (Nov. 20).
Johnson didn’t have the fastest or best car on the day, but he battled through all sorts of adversity and took advantage when a late-race wreck blew the field wide open and prompted the restart that led him to the 2016 Sprint Cup Championship.
He struck when the opportunity presented itself, passing Kyle Larson and holding off Kyle Busch and Joey Logano to take the historic victory on a day when he had to come from the back of the field.
Larson finished second.
Logano finished fourth, and Kyle Busch, the defending Series’ champion, finished sixth.
Carl Edwards led the most laps on the day for a Chase driver with 47, and he seemed in position to win when a block of Logano went wrong on a restart and the 19 car spun into the wall and out of the race.
Three-time champion Tony Stewart finished 22nd in the final race of his legendary career.
