Johnson finished 15th in Sunday’s Ford 400, but that was enough to make him the champ for the third consecutive year. That record setting feat has been accomplished by only one other driver. Cale Yarborough pulled off the hat trick from 76-78.

Johnson’s biggest competition to prevent the three-peat was Carl Edwards who won the event, but finished 69 points behind Johnson. In case you think Johnson took the day off, he could have clinched the title with a 36th place finish, so you can see that he put the pedal to the metal to improve his 30th position start.

Johnson represents the Lowe’s Racing Team and is part of Hendrick Motorsports. He has been a member of the Hendrick team since 2002. Especially impressive is that he has won three straight Cups while besting his team mates which consist of Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon and Casey Mears. Finishing fourth among those guys would be acceptable, but Johnson has bested them and the entire roster of Sprint drivers for three straight seasons.

Consistency is a key to victory and Johnson has had the same Crew Chief throughout his Hendrick run. Chad Knaus shares the moment by becoming the first Crew Chief to capture three consecutive Sprint Cup titles. Needless to say, Johnson is not planning an over haul of his crew.

Johnson captured the checkered flag seven times during the season. Edwards entered the Winner’s Circle a season leading nine times, but still could not wrest the points lead from Johnson.

Johnson’s #48 car performed consistently enough to secure 23 top 10 finishes which slanted the points in his favor. Along with his behind the wheel skill, his crew, Knaus and team owner Rick Hendrick combined to make his campaign one for the record books.

However, Edwards’ strong finish appears to be setting up a hard fought rivalry going into next season. Two bad races by Edwards tipped the points in Johnson’s favor and would have forced him to finish higher had the gaffes not been committed.

Edwards lost a possible top 10 finish at Talladega when he collided with team mate Greg Biffle. Johnson navigated clear of the pile up and finished ninth. A faulty ignition system took him out of the Coca Cola 600 and put him in the position of having to chase Johnson’s ever increasing point total.

Still, Edwards is happy with his strong season finish and looks forward to challenging Johnson next season. While Johnson intends to improve he foresees no huge change on the horizon. He is already preparing to return to the track, but until then, he can bask in the special glow of a three time Sprint Cup title. Having captured them all in a row only adds to their luster. .