Never did he expect to be a champion.
Especially four times over.
Johnson bulldozed his way into the record
books by becoming the first driver in NASCAR history to win four
consecutive championships, finishing fifth in Sunday's season finale at
Homestead-Miami Speedway. He joins Richard Petty (7), Dale Earnhardt
(7) and teammate Jeff Gordon (4) as the only drivers to win more than
three titles.
"To do something that's never been done in the
sport, and love the sport like I do and respect it like I do and the
greats — Petty, Earnhardt, Gordon — to do something they have never
done is so awesome," Johnson said. "And to win four championships in
eight years, what this team has done — this is unbelievable."
Yes, it is.
Johnson now stands atop NASCAR as a one-man dynasty, much like Tiger Woods, Roger Federer and Lance Armstrong in their sports.
Only Johnson hasn't been feted under a
blizzard of confetti by himself. His mighty Hendrick Motorsports team
rules NASCAR the way UCLA once dominated the hardwood or Michael
Jordan's Chicago Bulls reigned supreme.
Johnson's title gave team owner Rick Hendrick
a record 12th NASCAR championship, on a day that saw the team take the
top three spots in the final standings. Mark Martin wound up with his
fifth runner-up finish in the standings, while Jeff Gordon was third.
"I feel really, really blessed to have had a chance," Martin said.
There's seemingly plenty of chances left for
Johnson's tag-team with crew chief Chad Knaus to keep the No. 48 in the
title hunt for another decade.
The 34-year-old Californian on Friday signed
a five-year contract extension to drive for Hendrick through 2015, and
Knaus has insisted the No. 48 team can keep this pace for the next
several years.
"He's not done yet," teammate Martin said.
No, he is not.
Johnson never let up in pursuit of the
championship, even though he needed only to finish 25th or better to
get it Sunday. But he pushed for all 400 miles and even threatened to
try to run down the leaders to better his eventual fifth-place finish.
"History, boys!" he shouted as he crossed the finish line. "How about some history!"
Upon leaving his car in Victory Lane, Johnson first thanked the fans, tears sparkling in his eyes.
"Man, it's going to take a while to sink in," he said.
It was a sometimes testy drive into history
for Johnson, who was at times annoyed at rival drivers and even Gordon,
the mentor and teammate who helped him land his job with Hendrick
Motorsports.
Nobody gave Johnson anything, either. The
other drivers raced hard around him all day, making Johnson earn every
point in a race won by Denny Hamlin, who established himself as a
driver to watch in 2010.