HOMESTEAD, Fla. – Jimmie Johnson completed his quest for a third Sprint Cup championship in workmanlike fashion Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway, finishing 15th in the Ford 400.

Johnson matched Cale Yarborough, making them the only drivers to win three straight championships in NASCAR’s top series. The race was won by Carl Edwards, who squeezed every drop of fuel out of his No. 99 Ford and did all he could to erase the 141-point lead Johnson had when the season’s final race began.

But Edwards fell 69 points short, leaving Johnson and his team celebrating a historic NASCAR accomplishment.

Johnson filled the sky with smoke by doing a burnout on the frontstretch and then jumped into the arms of celebrating crew members.

“We had a great race car and that’s what made me most comfortable,” Johnson said. “From the first lap I knew we had a car that was in the ballpark. There were a couple of times when it got dicey but I felt like I was in control of the car.

“This is the ultimate reward. We work so hard to put ourselves in this position. It’s total teamwork and dedication.”

Chad Knaus, who heads Johnson’s crew, became the first crew chief to win three straight titles at NASCAR’s top level. Herb Nab was Yarborough’s crew chief in 1976 and 1977, but was not in that role for the third title in 1978.

“It will hit me in the morning, probably with a heck of headache, too,” Knaus said.

Edwards led the most laps early and then passed Roush Fenway Racing teammate Matt Kenseth for the lead on Lap 264 in the 267-lap race. Edwards was practically coasting when he took the checkered flag for his series-best ninth win of the season.

Johnson was running in the top five when he came to pit road for a splash of fuel and two tires on Lap 254.

With the title firmly in hand, there was no reason for him to push his fuel anywhere near the limit. Edwards, meanwhile, had nothing really to lose by employing the same fuel-miser strategy that had helped him win at Texas two races ago.

“It’s out,” said Edwards after being pushed to Victory Lane. “I know we didn’t win the championship, but we won the most races this season. I am really proud of these guys. . . . You can’t lose when you give it 100 percent.”

“Second place in the championship isn’t what we came here for, but Jimmie is a great guy and he deserves to win.”

Tony Stewart took the lead on Lap 245 by passing Kenseth, but Stewart came in for a splash of gas on Lap 256. That gave the lead back to Kenseth, looking for avoid a winless season, but Edwards was only a half-second behind.

The Roush Fenway Racing teammates were racing each other and trying to save fuel at the same time, an interesting predicament. Johnson was back in 20th, a lap down.

Once Kenseth’s car sputtered well short of the finish – he would finish 25th – Edwards went by into the lead and then slowed way, way down as he tried to make it to the finish. Kyle Busch was second at the white flag, but he ran out of fuel on the final lap, leaving Kevin Harvick second and Jamie McMurray third.

Edwards got five bonus points when he nosed past Kenseth on Lap 13 and wound up pulling clearly into the top spot on Lap 18. Johnson, meanwhile, was steadily moving up after starting 30th. On Lap 25, Johnson was already 18th.

The race remained under the green flag until the teams needed to make their first pit stops. Johnson came in on Lap 50 and one lap later Edwards made his stop. Kenseth missed his stall as he came down the pit lane and had to back up to complete the stop.

Edwards had the lead once everyone had stopped, with Johnson in 15th. Edwards was doing all he could to make a race out of the championship battle, but Johnson was doing what he needed to do to wrap it up as well.

Aric Almirola’s spin on Lap 69 brought out the day’s first yellow and brought all of the lead-lap cars back to pit road. Edwards got away just ahead of Harvick to keep the lead and he kept it all the way through the next run until cars began making green-flag stops on Lap 125.

Debris in Turn 2 brought out another yellow flag. Several teams took only two tires on that stop, jumbling the order somewhat. Edwards made it out first again, with Denny Hamlin second and McMurray third. Johnson was 12th on the restart on Lap 147.

Kurt Busch hit the wall just a few laps later and this time some of the lead-lap cars stayed out. Johnson was 10th on the restart on Lap 157 with Edwards still in the lead, just ahead of Hamlin.

When Marcos Ambrose hit the wall on Lap 168 to bring out another yellow. Jeff Gordon and Jeff Burton stayed out this time, and four other cars took just two tires to get ahead of Edwards in the race off pit road.

The spate of cautions continued when Burton spun after contact from Joe Nemechek on Lap 178, sending Burton through the grass on the backstretch. Johnson came to pit road to get four tires and an adjustment. He was 19th on the restart, while Edwards was sixth with 85 laps to go.

Kenseth fought his way back to the point on Lap 186, taking his Ford to the high side around Gordon. Kenseth had pulled away by more than 2 seconds until Reed Sorenson hit the wall on Lap 198 to bring the yellow out once again.

Having changed four tires a few laps earlier, Johnson’s team went for two tires this time and he grabbed the lead off pit road to pick up five bonus points. Johnson was first for the restart on Lap 204 with Kenseth second and Edwards third.

Kenseth went past Edwards on the high side on Lap 207 just before Kurt Busch’s car hit the wall again to bring out the yellow flag again.

Kenseth held onto the lead as the race moved into its final 40 laps. Johnson faded a bit, dropping to fifth as Hamlin, Stewart and Edwards battled for second.

Stewart, in his final race of a decade with Joe Gibbs Racing, came away with that position and began moving in toward Kenseth’s rear bumper. There also was the issue of whether anybody had enough fuel to go the distance without stopping again as the race – and the 2008 season – moved into its final moments.