The win ties Johnson with Dale Earnhardt and Richard Petty in the NASCAR record books. He did it by holding off defending champion Kyle Busch and Kyle Logano on a late restart.

The fourth contender in the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship was Carl Edwards. His day ended with 10 laps to go after he was collected in a wreck after contact with Logano.

It was also the final NASCAR race for three-time champion Tony Stewart, who is retiring.

Joey Logano tried to pass Edwards on a restart with 10 laps to go at the winner-take-all finale, but Edwards tried to fend off the move to maintain his position.

Contact between the two sent Edwards hard into an interior wall, then all the way across the track for a second hit. He was the most dominant driver of the four Chase contenders, but was left with a wrecked race car.

Jimmie Johnson benefited from the incident because he drove through the wreckage and wound up ahead of the remaining two title contenders – Logano and Kyle Busch – for the restart.</s>CLOSE USA TODAY Sports' Jeff Gluck breaks down Jimmie Johnson's record-tying seventh Sprint Cup championship and all the action from the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. USA TODAY Sports

Jimmie Johnson celebrates winning the Ford Ecoboost 400 and his record-tying seventh NASCAR Sprint Cup championship. (Photo: Mark J. Rebilas, USA TODAY Sports)

HOMESTEAD, Fla. — Jimmie Johnson won his seventh NASCAR championship Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway, besting Joey Logano, Kyle Busch, and Carl Edwards in the third edition of the elimination-style Chase for the Sprint Cup.

Johnson came into the race with six career titles and was going for his record-tying seventh to put him in an exclusive club that for years contained only Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt Sr.

Johnson won for the first time at Homestead, one of only four current Sprint Cup Series tracks where Johnson had never tasted victory. He held off Kyle Larson, Kevin Harvick and Logano on an overtime restart, sailing to the lead for the first time all day at the Ford EcoBoost 400.

"I'm just beyond words," Johnson said as he climbed out of the car. "I didn't think the race was unfolding for us like we needed it to give us a chance. (Crew chief) Chad Knaus called a great strategy and made some great adjustments for this short run. Some luck came our way, and we were able to win the race and the championship.

"Just thank you from the bottom of my heart. I'm so thrilled to be given this opportunity and so blessed."

Petty, who won his titles in the 1960s and 1970s, said in a statement:

"Records are a mark and they set something for everyone to shoot at. Jimmie and his team have done that tonight. They set a goal to get where they are and circumstances and fate made it a reality. They did what they needed to do and now they are at seven championships. Congratulations to him and his team.

"Jimmie is a great champion and this is really good for our sport."

Dale Earnhardt Jr. told USA TODAY Sports before the race he always would consider his late father the greatest, but Johnson, his teammate at Hendrick Motorsports, was "the best driver in this era."

Busch was trying to defend his 2015 crown and Logano and Edwards were both looking for their first Cup trophy.

It certainly wasn’t easy for Johnson, as all four drivers were running in the top six late in the race.

Some of the contenders had to face adversity during the day.

Johnson had to deal with a setback right from the start. His car was pulled off the starting grid and returned to the garage for a brief time, where NASCAR ruled his team made an unapproved modification after inspection.

The No. 48 team was forced to begin the race in the rear of the field, but Johnson quickly shook off that trouble. By lap 47, he was already in the top five.

Edwards saw his title hopes crushed when he tried to block an aggressive Logano on a restart with 10 laps to go before slamming into the wall.

Edwards had been one of the fastest cars in the field most of the day and had put himself in position to win the race and the title.

Here's the restart for the championship that brought out the red flag. #TheChasehttps://t.co/8MYNnz1hiJ — NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) November 20, 2016

“That was the race of my life up to that point," Edwards said. "I just pushed the issue as far as I could because I figured that was the race. I could feel him (Logano) a little, and I just thought I’d clear him or force him to lift. I just thought I’d have a little more time. And that’s how it ended.’’

With 131 laps to go, Busch made an unscheduled pit stop under the green flag with what he thought was a flat tire. As it turned out, there was nothing wrong with the tire – and he went a lap down essentially due to a false alarm.

Busch was able to stay out long enough to catch a debris caution, which allowed him to pit with the leaders and get back on the same pit cycle. That kept him in contention.

Follow Gluck on Twitter @jeff_gluck

SUNDAY'S RESULTS

Lap length: 1.5 miles(Starting position in parentheses)

1. (14) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 268.

2. (24) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 268.

3. (1) Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 268.

4. (13) Joey Logano, Ford, 268.

5. (15) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, 268.

6. (9) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 268.

7. (7) Matt Kenseth, Toyota, 268.

8. (12) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 268.

9. (4) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 268.

10. (26) Michael McDowell, Chevrolet, 268.

11. (5) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, 268.

12. (17) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 268.

13. (16) Kurt Busch, Chevrolet, 268.

14. (28) Paul Menard, Chevrolet, 268.

15. (22) Brian Scott, Ford, 268.

16. (19) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet, 268.

17. (21) Greg Biffle, Ford, 267.

18. (23) Casey Mears, Chevrolet, 267.

19. (30) Danica Patrick, Chevrolet, 266.

20. (20) Trevor Bayne, Ford, 266.

21. (32) Landon Cassill, Ford, 266.

22. (11) Tony Stewart, Chevrolet, 266.

23. (33) Clint Bowyer, Chevrolet, 266.

24. (27) Chris Buescher, Ford, 266.

25. (3) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, Accident, 264.

26. (8) Ryan Blaney, Ford, 264.

27. (31) Matt DiBenedetto, Toyota, 264.

28. (40) Michael Annett, Chevrolet, 264.

29. (36) David Ragan, Toyota, 264.

30. (18) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ford, Accident, 262.

31. (38) Jeffrey Earnhardt, Toyota, 261.

32. (37) Reed Sorenson, Toyota, 259.

33. (34) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, Accident, 258.

34. (10) Carl Edwards, Toyota, Accident, 257.

35. (2) Brad Keselowski, Ford, Accident, 257.

36. (6) Martin Truex Jr., Toyota, Accident, 257.

37. (29) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, Accident, 257.

38. (35) Regan Smith, Chevrolet, Accident, 255.

39. (39) Dylan Lupton, Ford, 250.

40. (25) Aric Almirola, Ford, 213.

Average Speed of Race Winner: 128.869 mph.

Time of Race: 3 Hours, 07 Minutess, 10 Seconds. Margin of Victory: 0.466 Seconds.

Caution Flags: 7 for 33 laps.

Lead Changes: 20 among 6 drivers.

Lap Leaders: K. Harvick 1-31; C. Edwards 32-34; K. Harvick 35-67; C. Edwards 68-70; K. Harvick 71-85; J. Logano 86-91; C. Edwards 92-117; K. Larson 118-121; C. Edwards 122-125; K. Larson 126-135; C. Edwards 136-143; K. Larson 144-154; C. Edwards 155; K. Larson 156-172; C. Edwards 173; K. Larson 174-208; C. Edwards 209; K. Larson 210-253; K. Busch 254; K. Larson 255-265; J. Johnson 266-268.

Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): K. Larson 7 times for 132 laps; K. Harvick 3 times for 79 laps; C. Edwards 8 times for 47 laps; J. Logano 1 time for 6 laps; J. Johnson 1 time for 3 laps; K. Busch 1 time for 1 lap.

Top 16 in Points: J. Johnson - 5,040; J. Logano - 5,037; K. Busch - 5,035; C. Edwards - 5,007; M. Kenseth - 2,330; D. Hamlin - 2,320; K. Busch - 2,296; K. Harvick - 2,289; K. Larson - 2,288; C. Elliott - 2,285; M. Truex Jr. - 2,271; B. Keselowski - 2,267; J. Mcmurray - 2,231; A. Dillon - 2,223; T. Stewart - 2,211; C. Buescher - 2,169.</s>Everything you need to know about Sunday’s EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, in three minutes:

1. For all the twists and turns of the Chase, the championship round comes down to something simple: Whomever finishes first among Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards, Jimmie Johnson and Joey Logano wins the Cup title.

2. History could be in the making as Johnson goes for a record-tying seventh title. That would equal the mark set by Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt.

3. This is Tony Stewart’s final race before he retires. Stewart, a three-time champion, starts 11th as he goes for his 50th career victory. Stewart, incidentally, has won three times at Homestead.

All four of the championship contenders will start farther back in the field than they would have liked. The fifth row is composed of Busch and Edwards, while Johnson and Logano will be in the seventh row.

There’s always a chance that a driver not racing for the championship could win the race. Pole-winner Kevin Harvick, Martin Truex Jr. or Brad Keselowski seem particularly suited to do just that. Eleven different drivers have won the 17 Cup races held at Homestead.

Winning the race has been the pathway to the title. Kevin Harvick did it in 2014; Busch won in 2015.

If Logano wins, it would complete a NASCAR-IndyCar double for Team Penske as the organization celebrates its 50th anniversary. The Mooresville-based team’s Simon Pagenaud won the IndyCar championship September.

Edwards had the fastest lap of the four finalists (174.031 mph) in Saturday’s final Cup practice.

Three picks for your fantasy team:

He has won when he’s really needed to during the Chase and that could well continue on Sunday’s big stage.

No victories in the Chase (yet), but all he needs to do is finish ahead of his three rivals to win a second consecutive championship.

He was having such a great season until he bowed out of the Chase at Talladega. Was fastest in Saturday’s final practice (174.289 mph).

He said it

“ I’m just excited. I’m imagining all of us are, just to get to go race.” -- Edwards.</s>Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt; the two drivers who had earned seven Sprint Cup championships before Sunday. The question had been asked for quite sometime, will anyone ever achieve the feat again?

At the conclusion of Sunday night’s Sprint Cup finale race at Homestead-Miami, Jimmie Johnson added himself to that list.

The sports world has witnessed some spectacular history-making moments in 2016. From the Cleveland Cavaliers capturing their first NBA title, to the Chicago Cubs taking home their first World Series championship in 108 years – it would seem as if the sport’s gods wouldn’t have any more special moments left to share with the world. But as Johnson drove off Turn 4 on the last lap of the 2016 season-finale event, history books were being rewritten once again.

Johnson entered Sunday’s championship race with a lot of pressure and attention floating around him. In 22 years of racing, since Earnhardt captured his seventh championship in 1994, people had been left wondering if anyone will ever be able to accomplish such a feat again. After already accomplishing six championships (2006-2010, plus 2013), Johnson was finally able to answer those questions on Sunday as he racked up his seventh.

“Proud, thankful, blessed,” said Johnson post-race. “As we all know, we all started racing because we love this sport. Our families are involved, it’s what we do. I never dreamt of being famous, never wanted to be famous, I only wanted to be a champion. I just wanted to race. Then to have everything that’s transpired to what it has today, and to be here and to tie those two legends, it’s surreal. Amazing. I’m just so honored to be here to be honest, I can’t really put it into words.”

Not only did Johnson win the championship, but he also won took home the checkered flag in the race. In 15 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series seasons, Johnson has posted 80 career wins – the most among active drivers. Johnson is also the only driver who has won championships in each of three different Chase formats.

“I’m just beyond words,” said Johnson after the race. “I didn’t think the race was unfolding for us like we needed it to give us a chance. Chad Knaus (crew chief) called a great strategy and made some great adjustments for this short run. Some luck came our way, and we were able to win the race and the championship.”

Praises and congratulations for Johnson were flooding in from all around the sport. The El Cajon, CA native’s seventh championship is one of the most impressive accomplishments not only in NASCAR, but in all of sports.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. congratulated Johnson after the race in Victory Lane, along with sending out a congratulatory tweet. The tweet read, “Happy for @JimmieJohnson. I wish dad (Dale Earnhardt) was here to shake his hand. Woulda been awesome to see that.”

The other driver that Johnson tied, Richard Petty, shared his comments after the race Sunday night.

“Records are a mark and they set something for everyone to shoot at. Jimmie and his team have done that tonight. They set a goal to get where they are and circumstances and fate made it a reality. They did what they needed to do and now they are at seven championships. Congratulations to him and his team.”

Johnson’s championship was the 12th for his team owner Rick Hendrick, who was elated with the joy of victory on Sunday night.

“It’s unbelievable,” said Hendrick. “To see him tie Richard and Dale, it’s unbelievable. I’m still in shock. I think it’s going to sink in later tonight. We are so proud of him. To do it through all these different formats, it’s been so special. What a great representative of the sport.”

Everyone who was tuned into Sunday night’s race was able to partake-in and witness history being made, and for Johnson and the entire NASCAR world, this is a evening that no one will soon forget.</s>Jimmie Johnson comes into Sunday’s season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway as the favorite to win his record-tying seventh Sprint Cup championship, and he showed during Saturday’s final practices that he’s worthy of the status. But Johnson is in the unusual position of having to likely win at Homestead to win the title, one of four tracks he’s never won at over his career.

He has 79 career victories, but is 0-for-15 at Homestead, a 1.5-mile, high-banked track that should ideally fit his style. His previous six titles were all celebrated at Homestead, but in each of those situations it was under old Chase rules where he had a cushy points lead with a mindset of staying out of trouble and simply finishing the race. This time, there are no points among the Championship 4 contenders where the best finisher wins the title. The past two seasons saw the eventual champion have to win the race.

During Saturday’s early practice session, Johnson posted the fastest lap (174.345 mph), which continues a trend on 1.5-mile tracks since the Chase started that he’s equipped to be the best. Since an August test session at Chicago, Johnson has averaged a sixth-place finish on the four 1.5s run during the Chase, including a Charlotte win where he led a race-high 155 laps.

Should Johnson finish ahead of Carl Edwards (3-to-1 odds to win the title), Las Vegan Kyle Busch (13-5) and Joey Logano (3-1), his seven championships would tie NASCAR legends Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt Sr. for the most in series history.

While I’d love to see Busch go back-to-back just because he’s got the local flavor, and Edwards and Logano are certainly deserving of their first title, everything points to Johnson making history.

The past two Homestead winners were eligible to win the Sprint Cup, but while the Championship 4 do their thing, there are 36 other drivers trying to win to close out their season with a bang. Here’s a look at a few of the top candidates:

* Kevin Harvick (6-1) has a series-best 7.2 average finish in 11 Homestead starts and starts from the pole. He was runner-up last season and won for the first time there in 2014. He’ll be using a chassis that sat on the pole in October’s Charlotte race and it had the best 10-consecutive lap average during happy hour.

* Martin Truex Jr (7-1) has dominated on 1.5-mile tracks this season with two wins and 883 laps led. He posted the fastest lap (174.289 mph) during the final practice.

* Chase Elliott (12-1) has had an incredible rookie season and makes his Cup debut at Homestead. He had the second-fastest lap (173.332) during Saturday’s early session and was fifth fastest (172.408) during happy hour.

* Denny Hamlin (20-1) has won twice at Homestead when being out of contention for a title, the last time in 2013, and showed during final practices that he’s a contender to win with the second-best 10-consecutive-lap average during Saturday’s early session.

Johnson and Logano may have some track history going against them just because of starting outside the top 10. In 17 Homestead races, 12 (70.5 percent) have been won from start positions inside the top 10. The last three winners started from within the top five. The deepest a winner has ever started was 38th by Hamlin in 2009.

Ryan Newman’s last win came in 2013, and 123 races have passed since then which is why he was offered at 100-to-1 odds to win this week. The team he drives for, Richard Childress Racing, also hasn’t won a race since 2013, the last year Harvick drove for it. But Newman becomes a worthwhile investment to do something that hasn’t happened in four seasons just because he had his best practice weekend of the season. He laid down the fastest lap (175.387 mph) during Friday’s first session, then qualified third. On Saturday, he had the ninth-fastest lap (172.150) in the early session and was third fastest (172.723) during happy hour. With those type of speeds and desperately starving for a win, he still offers value even if getting only 60-to-1 odds.

Micah Roberts, a former sports book director, has been been setting NASCAR lines in Las Vegas since 1994. Follow @MicahRoberts7 on Twitter.</s>Jimmie Johnson won Sunday’s Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, and with it an unlikely seventh and record-tying NASCAR Cup championship.

Johnson took the lead on a restart with two laps remaining and beat Kyle Larson to the start-finish line, igniting a wild celebration with his No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports team.

Johnson is tied for NASCAR’s career championships lead with hall-of-famers Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt. He had to do it after starting the race at the rear of the field after he was found to have an unapproved body modification in pre-race inspection.

To win the title, Johnson had to finish ahead of three other final-four drivers. Joey Logano was fourth, Kyle Busch sixth and Carl Edwards 34th. Edwards and Logano were involved in an accident on a late restart while Edwards was running second, completely changing the complexion of the championship race.

The race was red-flagged for 31 minutes, nine seconds after the wreck, which involved seven other cars.

After a wreck involving Ricky Stenhouse Jr. forced a caution on Lap 264, Johnson passed leader Kyle Larson on the restart and led the final three laps of overtime.

Jimmie Johnson: Struggled in qualifying, then was penalized for an unapproved body modification during prerace inspection. All he did was come from the rear of the field to win the race and his record-tying seventh title. Is it too soon to talk about No. 8?

Joey Logano: Was the victim of a late-race wreck with Carl Edwards. A shrewd pit stop by crew chief Todd Gordon put Logano in position to win his first title, but he didn’t have enough for Johnson.

Kyle Busch: A bad pit stop late in the race cost the 2015 champion and his No. 18 team. That dropped Busch to 12th place and although he rallied, he could only manage a sixth-place finish.

Carl Edwards: He appeared to be in position to contend for the race victory and, more importantly, the championship until he tried to block Logano on a late restart. That wreck ended the race and the season for Edwards, who finished 34th.

Busch’s sixth-place finish gave Toyota its first Cup manufacturer’s championship. Toyota drivers from Joe Gibbs Racing and Furniture Row Racing’s Martin Truex Jr. won 16-of-36 races to take the title.

Three-time champion Tony Stewart, retiring after an 18-year Cup career, finished 22nd. Stewart drove at the head of the field during a ceremonial pace lap before the race and was greeted by crew members of other teams.

“That was the favorite part of my day,” said Stewart, a three-time champion.

Larson led a race-high 132 laps but didn’t have enough for Johnson at the end. Harvick led 79 laps, driving a Chevy for the final time. Harvick’s Stewart-Haas Racing is changing manufacturers to Ford next season.

They said it

“So thrilled to be in this moment. So grateful for the opportunity and so thankful and blessed. I am at a loss for words.” – Johnson.</s>Jimmie Johnson won Sunday’s Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, and with it an unlikely seventh and record-tying NASCAR Cup championship.

Johnson took the lead on a restart with two laps remaining and beat Kyle Larson to the start-finish line, igniting a wild celebration with his No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports team.

Johnson is tied for NASCAR’s career championships lead with hall-of-famers Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt. He had to do it after starting the race at the rear of the field after he was found to have an unapproved body modification in pre-race inspection.

To win the title, Johnson had to finish ahead of three other final-four drivers. Joey Logano was fourth, Kyle Busch sixth and Carl Edwards 34th. Edwards and Logano were involved in an accident on a late restart while Edwards was running second, completely changing the complexion of the championship race.

The race was red-flagged for 31 minutes, nine seconds after the wreck, which involved seven other cars.

After a wreck involving Ricky Stenhouse Jr. forced a caution on Lap 264, Johnson passed leader Kyle Larson on the restart and led the final three laps of overtime.

Jimmie Johnson: Struggled in qualifying, then was penalized for an unapproved body modification during prerace inspection. All he did was come from the rear of the field to win the race and his record-tying seventh title. Is it too soon to talk about No. 8?

Joey Logano: Was the victim of a late-race wreck with Carl Edwards. A shrewd pit stop by crew chief Todd Gordon put Logano in position to win his first title, but he didn’t have enough for Johnson.

Kyle Busch: A bad pit stop late in the race cost the 2015 champion and his No. 18 team. That dropped Busch to 12th place and although he rallied, he could only manage a sixth-place finish.

Carl Edwards: He appeared to be in position to contend for the race victory and, more importantly, the championship until he tried to block Logano on a late restart. That wreck ended the race and the season for Edwards, who finished 34th.

Busch’s sixth-place finish gave Toyota its first Cup manufacturer’s championship. Toyota drivers from Joe Gibbs Racing and Furniture Row Racing’s Martin Truex Jr. won 16-of-36 races to take the title.

Three-time champion Tony Stewart, retiring after an 18-year Cup career, finished 22nd. Stewart drove at the head of the field during a ceremonial pace lap before the race and was greeted by crew members of other teams.

“That was the favorite part of my day,” said Stewart, a three-time champion.

Larson led a race-high 132 laps but didn’t have enough for Johnson at the end. Harvick led 79 laps, driving a Chevy for the final time. Harvick’s Stewart-Haas Racing is changing manufacturers to Ford next season.

They said it

“So thrilled to be in this moment. So grateful for the opportunity and so thankful and blessed. I am at a loss for words.” – Johnson.</s>So much of the argument and debate that fuel sports is generational, older fans hanging on to black-and-white memories and myths.

It is the good-old-days-were-best mind-set, even though, logically, especially in sports, advances in technology and physiology make pretty clear that today’s athletes are faster, stronger, better. The pull of nostalgia, though, insists Babe Ruth, 81 years after his last home run, was greater than any of today’s hitters will ever be. It is what argued Tiger Woods would never be Jack Nicklaus no matter what the final number of major wins might claim. It is the certainty of so many, beyond debate, that there will never be another Michael Jordan.

NASCAR racing confronts this grappling of then vs. now, and, for me, it is what makes so riveting Sunday’s season-ending Sprint Cup championship race down at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

All of the sport’s old ghosts are summoned. Stock car racing’s heritage is on alert. The old-timers are ready for an argument.

Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards and Joey Logano are racing for the 2016 crown on Sunday. The other of the final four, Jimmie Johnson, is racing for that and a little bit more. He is chasing the gods of his sport. Chasing history. Immortality.

Richard Petty, “The King,” won his first NASCAR main-series championship in 1964, during the font of Beatlemania, and collected his last and record seventh in 1979.

Dale Earnhardt, “The Intimidator,” reigned first in 1980, as if accepting the baton, and won his record-tying seventh crown in 1994.

Jimmie Johnson (conspicuously absent a decent nickname), won his six titles in a condensed flurry between 2006 and ’13 — including a record five in a row at Homestead — and now seeks his record-equaling seventh Sunday in the farmlands southwest of Miami.

What is in front of Johnson was the elephant in the room when the final four gathered this week for a prerace news conference, but was the last topic broached.

“I know it’s here. I know I’m as close as I’ve ever been,” he said. “I’m not climbing into that car Sunday saying, ‘I’ve got to win seven.’ But of course I would love to. It would be a massive honor to join Petty and Earnhardt. If not this year, we’ll be back next year to try again.”

I’m proud that Greater Miami has a tradition of major sporting events. This is the 15th year we have been the racing epicenter for NASCAR’s grand finale. Twenty national college football champions have been knighted here. We have hosted 10 Super Bowls. We’ve hosted NBA Finals, World Series and Stanley Cup Finals games.

But this would be a part of some of our biggest moments, if Johnson makes racing history Sunday.

Petty and Earnhardt epitomized the Deep South heritage of what NASCAR used to be, both speaking with a drawl that fell easy on the ears of race fans, including those old enough to remember the dirt tracks and moonshine-running of the sport’s birth days. Including those who wore “redneck” as a badge, not an insult.

The two racing deities grow up some 55 miles apart along I-85 in rural North Carolina, Petty in tiny Level Cross, Earnhardt in slightly bigger Kannapolis.

Johnson was born in El Cajon, California. He was a swimmer and diver in high school.

Petty, still going strong at 79, and Earnhardt, who of course died from race injuries on the track in Daytona in 2001 at 49 – only growing his myth and legend – fit the cherished NASCAR stereotype to perfection. Rugged, swashbuckling and profane when required, scowling behind shades under a cowboy hat.

Johnson, a still-boyish 41, looks like he could step out of a fire suit and into Armani and star in a GQ fashion shoot. He does not swashbuckle. He is known for excellence in a cramped cockpit at 180 mph, but hardly for a notable personality.

How will NASCAR fans welcome Johnson to the exclusive highest pantheon should he win Sunday? Will they at all?

I am picturing Petty and Earnhardt as a leathered Wyatt Earp and John Wayne at a card table as Johnson’s neatly groomed Urban Cowboy walks smiling through the bat-wing doors in a brand new Stetson that doesn’t quite fit him.

The funny thing is, Johnson doesn’t need a win Sunday for title No. 7 to build his argument for greatest ever. That would merely gild it, and force the Petty/Earnhardt wing to at least entertain the debate.

Johnson already has been the best in his sport at least seven times. Recall that in 2004 he won a NASCAR-best eight races but somehow finished second in final points, back before the Chase for the Cup format tinkered to the playoff-style setup and winner-take-all final four now in play.

“It’d be a really big deal,” as Petty himself said in a recent interview. “It would be really good for NASCAR. Be good PR.”

It would good for a sport that needs the boost.

Television ratings have been in gradual decline much of the past 10 years. Attendance at tracks also has fallen, leading NASCAR in 2012 to stop giving out crowd numbers altogether. This is not to say the sport is unhealthy. A mammoth 10-year, $8.2 billion deal with NBC and Fox that runs through 2024 assures financial stability. But interest has eroded.

The retirement last year of popular icon Jeff Gordon won’t help. Now star Tony Stewart, cantankerous in the old-time spirit, runs his final race Sunday. And Dale Earnhardt Jr., steadfastly voted most popular driver each year in an homage to his late father, has neither failed nor lived up to this name, is 42 now, and missed much of this season with a concussion.

NASCAR needs new stars, a transfusion, a jolt. Johnson isn’t new, but his winning to make history Sunday would stake a claim that this sport’s best days, and best drivers, are not all in the past. It would also serve as a reminder:

While the sport misses Gordon, is about to miss Stewart and waits for a dominance by Junior that likely will never come, the face of the franchise — whether he wins Sunday or not, and like it or not — is Jimmie Johnson.</s>The final race of Tony Stewart’s storied NASCAR Cup career wasn’t very memorable although he got a pretty cool souvenir.

Although Stewart finished 22nd after hanging at the back of the field for much of Sunday’s Ford EcoBoost 400, he was in Victory Lane following the race celebrating with Jimmie Johnson — who gave Stewart the helmet he wore while driving toward history.

Johnson’s win Sunday gave him a record-tying seventh Sprint Cup championship; the customized helmet with the likeness of Dale Earnhardt and Richard Petty painted on the back — whom Johnson tied with his last-dash win — now goes into Stewart’s growing collection.

Stewart was feted both before and after Sunday’s race which he said is the final in his 18-year career.

Although Stewart started Sunday’s race on Row 6, he didn’t stay near the front of the pack for long as he drifted toward the back of the grid before being lapped as he stayed at least a lap down for much of the race.

It wasn’t the way Stewart wanted to go out, although he said the car he drove his last Cup race in is joining his large collection in his hometown of Columbus, Indiana.

“It came through without a scratch on it,” he said. “I’m proud of it, proud of these guys. This wasn’t exactly the way we wanted the way to go, but the race was fun.”

Stewart ends his Cup career with 618 starts, 49 victories and three Cup championship — the final of which was won at Homestead in 2011.

When Stewart headed down pit row on his way onto the track, pit crew members from each team came out to greet him.

“That,” he said, “was the highlight of the day.”

Once on the track, Stewart moved to the front of the field for a celebratory parade lap. Stewart paced the field, following a Ford truck towing a large banner which read ‘Thank you Smoke.’

Sunday’s Cup race was the final one with Sprint communications as the title sponsor and NASCAR doesn’t have a replacement for 2017 just yet.

Sprint has been the title sponsor of Cup racing since 2008 after renaming NASCAR’s top series after merging with Nextel — which replaced Winston cigarettes in 2004.

“It’s taken a little longer than I thought,” said NASCAR CEO Brian France, “but it’s also a big agreement and an important agreement. It’s not just dollars and cents, but it’s a fit for us. We don’t want to announce anything certainly around this weekend.

“We’re in a good spot with that, I believe, but we’ll have to see how it finally plays out. ... I’m confident we’re going to end up in a really good spot.”

Sprint announced it would let its current contract expire following this season back in 2014.

In 2003, Nextel signed a 10-year deal with NASCAR and took over the Winston Cup branding in 2004 after 31 years. Sprint extended its deal with NASCAR for three years.

France didn’t seem too pleased when asked if his public endorsement of Donald Trump in February would “raise questions” as NASCAR celebrated Mexican-born driver Daniel Suarez’s victory in the Xfinity Series on Saturday at Homestead.

Suarez came up through a diversity program championed by France and became the first foreign-born champion of a top NASCAR series.

“First of all, no one wants to hear my political views,” said France, who joined Trump on stage at a rally held at Valdosta State University in Georgia.

“Not one person on this stage wants to hear from me politically. But on my diversity, no one in this company has worked harder, done more and resourced it better than me. I founded the Diversity Council. I fought for every single thing that makes sense, because that’s my core belief about diversity. It’s very, very important. I talk about it frequently.

“And my efforts there should never be challenged, no matter what my political views might be. That’s a ridiculous thing to do.”

There were a few celebrities taking in Sunday’s championship race including the Band Perry (which performed before cars hit the track), grand marshal Justin Hartley (from NBC’s This Is Us ) and starter Wilmer Valderrama (from and ).

Also attending Sunday’s race: baseball’s Dee Gordon (Marlins) and Yasiel Puig (Dodgers), Hall of Fame golfer Nancy Lopez and former Dolphins’ and Patriots’ receiver Wes Welker.

Hialeah’s Albert Almora Jr., who scored the go-ahead run for the Cubs in the 10th inning of Game 7 of the Word Series, was also in attendance.</s>So much of the argument and debate that fuel sports is generational, older fans hanging on to black-and-white memories and myths.

It is the good-old-days-were-best mind-set, even though, logically, especially in sports, advances in technology and physiology make pretty clear that today’s athletes are faster, stronger, better. The pull of nostalgia, though, insists Babe Ruth, 81 years after his last home run, was greater than any of today’s hitters will ever be. It is what argued Tiger Woods would never be Jack Nicklaus no matter what the final number of major wins might claim. It is the certainty of so many, beyond debate, that there will never be another Michael Jordan.

NASCAR racing confronts this grappling of then vs. now, and, for me, it is what makes so riveting Sunday’s season-ending Sprint Cup championship race down at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

All of the sport’s old ghosts are summoned. Stock car racing’s heritage is on alert. The old-timers are ready for an argument.

Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards and Joey Logano are racing for the 2016 crown on Sunday. The other of the final four, Jimmie Johnson, is racing for that and a little bit more. He is chasing the gods of his sport. Chasing history. Immortality.

Richard Petty, “The King,” won his first NASCAR main-series championship in 1964, during the font of Beatlemania, and collected his last and record seventh in 1979.

Dale Earnhardt, “The Intimidator,” reigned first in 1980, as if accepting the baton, and won his record-tying seventh crown in 1994.

Jimmie Johnson (conspicuously absent a decent nickname), won his six titles in a condensed flurry between 2006 and ’13 — including a record five in a row at Homestead — and now seeks his record-equaling seventh Sunday in the farmlands southwest of Miami.

What is in front of Johnson was the elephant in the room when the final four gathered this week for a prerace news conference, but was the last topic broached.

“I know it’s here. I know I’m as close as I’ve ever been,” he said. “I’m not climbing into that car Sunday saying, ‘I’ve got to win seven.’ But of course I would love to. It would be a massive honor to join Petty and Earnhardt. If not this year, we’ll be back next year to try again.”

I’m proud that Greater Miami has a tradition of major sporting events. This is the 15th year we have been the racing epicenter for NASCAR’s grand finale. Twenty national college football champions have been knighted here. We have hosted 10 Super Bowls. We’ve hosted NBA Finals, World Series and Stanley Cup Finals games.

But this would be a part of some of our biggest moments, if Johnson makes racing history Sunday.

Petty and Earnhardt epitomized the Deep South heritage of what NASCAR used to be, both speaking with a drawl that fell easy on the ears of race fans, including those old enough to remember the dirt tracks and moonshine-running of the sport’s birth days. Including those who wore “redneck” as a badge, not an insult.

The two racing deities grow up some 55 miles apart along I-85 in rural North Carolina, Petty in tiny Level Cross, Earnhardt in slightly bigger Kannapolis.

Johnson was born in El Cajon, California. He was a swimmer and diver in high school.

Petty, still going strong at 79, and Earnhardt, who of course died from race injuries on the track in Daytona in 2001 at 49 – only growing his myth and legend – fit the cherished NASCAR stereotype to perfection. Rugged, swashbuckling and profane when required, scowling behind shades under a cowboy hat.

Johnson, a still-boyish 41, looks like he could step out of a fire suit and into Armani and star in a GQ fashion shoot. He does not swashbuckle. He is known for excellence in a cramped cockpit at 180 mph, but hardly for a notable personality.

How will NASCAR fans welcome Johnson to the exclusive highest pantheon should he win Sunday? Will they at all?

I am picturing Petty and Earnhardt as a leathered Wyatt Earp and John Wayne at a card table as Johnson’s neatly groomed Urban Cowboy walks smiling through the bat-wing doors in a brand new Stetson that doesn’t quite fit him.

The funny thing is, Johnson doesn’t need a win Sunday for title No. 7 to build his argument for greatest ever. That would merely gild it, and force the Petty/Earnhardt wing to at least entertain the debate.

Johnson already has been the best in his sport at least seven times. Recall that in 2004 he won a NASCAR-best eight races but somehow finished second in final points, back before the Chase for the Cup format tinkered to the playoff-style setup and winner-take-all final four now in play.

“It’d be a really big deal,” as Petty himself said in a recent interview. “It would be really good for NASCAR. Be good PR.”

It would good for a sport that needs the boost.

Television ratings have been in gradual decline much of the past 10 years. Attendance at tracks also has fallen, leading NASCAR in 2012 to stop giving out crowd numbers altogether. This is not to say the sport is unhealthy. A mammoth 10-year, $8.2 billion deal with NBC and Fox that runs through 2024 assures financial stability. But interest has eroded.

The retirement last year of popular icon Jeff Gordon won’t help. Now star Tony Stewart, cantankerous in the old-time spirit, runs his final race Sunday. And Dale Earnhardt Jr., steadfastly voted most popular driver each year in an homage to his late father, has neither failed nor lived up to this name, is 42 now, and missed much of this season with a concussion.

NASCAR needs new stars, a transfusion, a jolt. Johnson isn’t new, but his winning to make history Sunday would stake a claim that this sport’s best days, and best drivers, are not all in the past. It would also serve as a reminder:

While the sport misses Gordon, is about to miss Stewart and waits for a dominance by Junior that likely will never come, the face of the franchise — whether he wins Sunday or not, and like it or not — is Jimmie Johnson.
In motorsport, Jimmie Johnson wins the 2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship with a victory in the final race of the season. It is his 7th Cup championship, which ties the all-time record set by Richard Petty in 1979 and Dale Earnhardt in 1994.