Johnson, the pass of four

Jimmie Johnson, focused on his objective, presented himself in the best conditions at the start of the Miami race. Leader of the general classification, he only needed to finish in the Top 25 to win a fourth consecutive title. Better still, the Chevrolet driver started in pole position and could therefore hope to finish the race in a good place.

Jimmie Johnson started off perfectly and completed the first lap in the lead, scoring the five points promised to each leader. If Marcos Ambrose contests his leadership after ten laps, the Hendrick Motorsports driver quickly takes control. The leader of the general classification, however, had to give way on the 33rd lap, with Tony Stewart taking the lead.

During the first round of pit stops, the lead changed steering several times but Tony Stewart regained his position on the 63rd lap. The first yellow flag, following a failure by Marcos Ambrose, changed the situation. Kevin Harvick got the best start after the neutralization and took the lead. The interruptions then followed: the yellow flag was waved on the 101st, 108th and 116th lap and Kevin Harvick continued to dominate the fight.

There is a fight, because between Tony Stewart and Juan Pablo Montoya, nothing is going well. Both men test each other and the fourth yellow flag is their work. After 152 turns, the Nascar warns the two pilots, affirming that “enough is enough”. However, three laps later, Montoya collided with Stewart, who left to get to know the wall. Yellow flag for the peloton and black flag for Montoya: if the Colombian hits another car, his season will end immediately.

In the meantime, Kurt Busch took the lead in the race, overtaking Denny Hamlin then Kevin Harvick on the 134th lap. Before the restart of the 161st lap, the eldest of the Busch brothers was surprised by Denny Hamlin, faster in the pits, and who took control. At this point, Jimmie Johnson, tenth, is virtual champion.

The race will change leaders again: Kurt Busch (181st lap), Jeff Burton (199th), Michael Waltrip (219th), Kurt Busch (220th) but Denny Hamlin takes the lead on the 223rd lap and never lets go. Sixth, Jimmie Johnson is winning his bet by rolling towards a fourth consecutive coronation.

In the final laps, Kyle Busch experienced some difficulty and fell back to eighth position, allowing Johnson to climb to fifth. Denny Hamlin took the victory, but it was Jimmie Johnson and Hendrick Motorsports who were celebrating.

The driver of the No. 48 Chevrolet won his fourth consecutive title, while he was joined on the final overall podium by his teammates Mark Martin and Jeff Gordon. Is it party time for Rick Hendrick and his team?