The gleaming Ford 400 trophy belonged to Denny Hamlin.

But the night, the 36-week season and a place among the immortals belong to Jimmie Johnson.

With the weight of history pressing down, Johnson placed fifth in the season-ending Sprint Cup Series race at the Homestead-Miami Speedway on Sunday to easily secure his unprecedented fourth consecutive season championship.

"The fact that no one has done this puts me near the top," conceded Johnson, who is not one for hyperbole. "I love and respect the sport, and so to look at that and do something that has never been done in the sport before is so, so amazing.

"I've worked my entire life to get to this position," Johnson added. "It's not like we backed into this. We've gone out and worked really, really hard. It's rewarding to have that payoff."

FINAL STANDINGS

NASCAR nextel cup series, jimmie johnson, ford 400