All-time NASCAR Cup champions
Jimmie Johnson has done it.
With history on the line Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Johnson won his seventh title to tie Hall of Famers Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt Sr. for the most titles in NASCAR’s premier series.
But the Hendrick Motorsports driver faced a stiff challenge from reigning champion Kyle Busch, his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Carl Edwards and Team Penske’s Joey Logano. Johnson won five titles in a row from 2006-10 and earned his sixth in 2013 before NASCAR altered the Chase for the Sprint Cup into an elimination-style format that culminated with a championship race at Homestead among four drivers.
Johnson won for the first time at the South Florida track to secure his seventh.
Busch claimed his first title during a magical 2015 run that saw him miss the first 11 races after breaking his right leg and left foot in the season-opening Xfinity Series race at Daytona International Speedway. He returned to earn four wins in five races to seal his spot in the Chase. He closed 2015 with a victory at Homestead to clinch the championship by one point and put an exclamation mark on his fairy tale season. But a slow pit stop helped send him to a sixth-place finish in the race.
Edwards, who famously lost the 2011 championship to Tony Stewart on a tiebreaker, and Logano, who reached the championship race in 2014, each were trying to win their first Cup Series title in Sprint’s last year as NASCAR’s title sponsor. Edwards crashed while trying to block Logano on a restart with 10 laps to go, effectively ending Edwards' race and damaging Logano's car. Logano finished fourth. Edwards was 34th.
NASCAR introduced its 10-race Chase - its version of the playoffs - to determine the Cup champion in 2004. The Chase was designed to bring more interest and intensity to the closing races of the season.
Beginning in 2014, the format again was altered to expand the playoff field to 16 drivers while the 10-race Chase was divided into four rounds, featuring three races apiece in each of the first three rounds. In the third race of every round four drivers were eliminated, leaving four drivers to contend for the championship at Homestead.
NASCAR premier series champions since 1949:
2016: Jimmie Johnson
2015: Kyle Busch
2014: Kevin Harvick
2013: Jimmie Johnson
2012: Brad Keselowski
2011: Tony Stewart
2010: Jimmie Johnson
2009: Jimmie Johnson
2008: Jimmie Johnson
2007: Jimmie Johnson
2006: Jimmie Johnson
2005: Tony Stewart
2004: Kurt Busch
2003: Matt Kenseth
2002: Tony Stewart
2001: Jeff Gordon
2000: Bobby Labonte
1999: Dale Jarrett
1998: Jeff Gordon
1997: Jeff Gordon
1996: Terry Labonte
1995: Jeff Gordon
1994: Dale Earnhardt
1993: Dale Earnhardt
1992: Alan Kulwicki
1991: Dale Earnhardt
1990: Dale Earnhardt
1989: Rusty Wallace
1988: Bill Elliott
1987: Dale Earnhardt
1986: Dale Earnhardt
1985: Darrell Waltrip
1984: Terry Labonte
1983: Bobby Allison
1982: Darrell Waltrip
1981: Darrell Waltrip
1980: Dale Earnhardt
1979: Richard Petty
1978: Cale Yarborough
1977: Cale Yarborough
1976: Cale Yarborough
1975: Richard Petty
1974: Richard Petty
1973: Benny Parsons
1972: Richard Petty
1971: Richard Petty
1970: Bobby Isaac
1969: David Pearson
1968: David Pearson
1967: Richard Petty
1966: David Pearson
1965: Ned Jarrett
1964: Richard Petty
1963: Joe Weatherly
1962: Joe Weatherly
1961: Ned Jarrett
1960: Rex White
1959: Lee Petty
1958: Lee Petty
1957: Buck Baker
1956: Buck Baker
1955: Tim Flock
1954: Lee Petty
1953: Herb Thomas
1952: Tim Flock
1951: Herb Thomas
1950: Bill Rexford
1949: Red Byron
Source: Racing-reference.info
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