The 2008 NASCAR season officially came to an end Sunday night as Carl Edwards took the checkered flag for a record ninth time this season only to finish second in the points behind Jimmie Johnson who scored his third consecutive Sprint Cup Championship.

Johnson is now a part of history becoming the second driver, along with Cale Yarborough, to win three consecutive titles. Johnson’s crew chief, Chad Knaus, goes into the history books as the only crew chief to achieve the feat.

Johnson’s third title was inevitable with an 141-point lead going into the finale, but Edwards wasn’t giving up.

Edwards first step was to get a good starting position — he started fourth. Get to the lead early — he got there after taking the lead from teammate Matt Kenseth. Lead the most laps — check. Win the race — check.

Johnson, who started 28th, had no mishaps, lead a few laps and finished 15th.

Edwards finished second in both the Cup standings and the Nationwide Series standings — 21 points behind Clint Bowyer, who won the Nationwide Championship, and 69 points behind Johnson.

Edwards would have captured the title if not for the “Chase” format.

From the start of the “Chase for the Sprint Cup” the championship standings and “Chasers”changed constantly.

Greg Biffle started the “Chase” on a high note. He won the first two races climbing from ninth to third, a position he never vacated. He wasn’t mathematically eliminated until Phoenix.

Kevin Harvick finished Sunday’s race second to end up fourth in the final standings without a win this season.

Harvick’s teammates, Bowyer and Jeff Burton, followed him in the standings at fifth and sixth respectively.

Winless Jeff Gordon, Johnson’s teammate, finished the season seventh. This is the first time since his second year in NASCAR that he hasn’t won at least two races during any given season.

Denny Hamlin finished eighth. His teammate, Tony Stewart, made his final start with Joe Gibbs Racing Sunday in what many considered  a great ending to the 10-year run with JGR. He led late in the race, but due to fuel strategy, or lack of, he had to pit under green and finished the race ninth.
Stewart will drive the No. 14 Chevrolet for Stewart Haas Racing, a team he now co-owns, in 2009.

Kyle Busch, who led in points heading into the “Chase”, finished 10th. He had four Top 5 finishes during the final 10 races, but had two very terrible finishes at the beginning.

Matt Kenseth finished the season 11th. Kenseth joins Harvick and Gordon as the “Chase” drivers without a single win this season.

NASCAR’s most popular driver, Dale Earnhardt Jr., finished the season in the garage and in 12th. A mechanical problem knocked him out in the finale.

Well, over the past month and a half, I have not mentioned stats on my favorite driver, Kasey Kahne, mostly because he wasn’t in the “Chase,” but with the season at a close I feel I must at least briefly rattle his stats off.

Kahne finished Sunday’s race sixth after starting 18th, his worst start ever at HMS. He finished the season 14th after not making the “Chase” for the second consecutive season. He came out of the year with two wins, the All-Star Race XXIV win, two Coors Light Poles, four Top Fives and 14 Top 10s, much better than 2007. I can only hope 2009 will be better!

As a NASCAR fan, it is sad to see the end to the season, as a Kahne fan, not so much, but with all ends there are new beginnings. A new beginning starts Feb. 7, 2009 with the Budweiser Shootout at Daytona and “The Pit Report Online” will begin just a few days before. Much like this year, the 2009 NASCAR season is sure to be another very interesting year.

Don’t miss:
Awards Banquets

• Nationwide Series awards banquet, Nov. 30 at noon on ESPN2
• Sprint Cup Series awards banquet, Dec. 5 at 9 p.m. on ESPNClassic or Dec. 8 at 2 p.m. on ESPN2