<table> </table> HOMESTEAD, Fla. | A driver who pleaded for anonymity last weekend in Phoenix offered this assessment of Jimmie Johnson: He&#8217;s going to have a very hard time becoming a NASCAR legend. He&#8217;s just too dang bland.</p><p>That might be. But his on-track persona figures to be the controlling factor when it comes to giving a thumbs up or down on the legend thing.</p><p>On Sunday, a comfortably cool night in south Florida, Johnson became just the second driver to win three straight Sprint Cup championships. The only other driver to do that was the legendary Cale Yarborough, who managed to win three titles from 1976 to 1978.</p><p>Introducing the legendary Jimmie Johnson?</p><p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t know how you can doubt,&#8221; team-owner Rick Hendrick said. &#8220;The talent that he&#8217;s got and the competitiveness of the sport and the things he does in the car and the coolness, the communications. I don&#8217;t think he&#8217;s gotten the respect he deserves. I&#8217;m just glad I don&#8217;t have to drive against him.&#8221;</p><p>Johnson, predictably, said his feat had not sunk in yet. &#8220;I look forward to resurfacing again tomorrow and watching TV and reading some articles on stuff,&#8221; Johnson said.</p><p>When he does, Johnson will no doubt be reassured to find that he got championship No. 3 by doing exactly what Hendrick had described: Using the same smart, efficient, conservative, quiet techniques that had won him the 2006 and 2007 championships.</p><p>He finished 15th in a race in which he needed only to finish 36th to clinch the championship. At the end, his margin of victory over runner-up Carl Edwards was 69 points.</p><p>Edwards, who had done everything he could to deprive Johnson of the championship by winning the race Sunday, acknowledged Johnson&#8217;s accomplishment by giving a nod to his own.</p><p>&#8220;I think that&#8217;s a big accomplishment&#8221; to win the race and finish second in points, Edwards said. &#8220;Especially considering how well Jimmie ran all season.&#8221;</p><p>Kevin Harvick finished second and was followed by Jamie McMurray and Jeff Gordon.</p><p>Clint Bowyer of Emporia, Kan., finished fifth.</p><p>Johnson started Sunday&#8217;s race 30th, giving hope to Edwards and those who would have preferred not seeing a three-peat.</p><p>Edwards started fourth and ended up leading the most laps. But Johnson never felt the pressure. He said he cruised through the race in a state of near serenity.</p><p>&#8220;Experience helped me with this,&#8221; he said.</p><p>It helped him sleep in the nights leading up to the race, focus in the car and beat back the kind of stress he had felt in the previous two Chases.</p><p>&#8220;That&#8217;s the most comfortable I have been in the car here at Homestead racing for a championship,&#8221; Johnson said. &#8220;And it&#8217;s the most competitive I think I&#8217;ve been. A lot of it has to do with the comfort that came with the experience and the points lead (which was 141 at the start) and stuff.&#8221;</p><p>Having the first crew chief to win three straight championships didn&#8217;t hurt, either. Classic pit-stop strategy by Chad Knaus all but secured Johnson&#8217;s title.</p><p>With 90 laps to go, Johnson, who had not even threatened for a lead, came out of the pits after a caution in first place.</p><p>He held it for six laps, dropped back and then opted to play it safe and stop for fuel late on Knaus&#8217; orders.</p><p>The big problem for Johnson was other drivers. They were the only thing that disturbed him.</p><p>&#8220;I cannot believe how stupid some of these guys can be out there,&#8221; Johnson said. &#8220;It just shocks me.&#8221;</p><p>After the race, it was just a matter of time before somebody brought up the &#8220;F&#8221; word &#8212; four straight championships. Can Johnson do it?</p><p>The question went to Knaus.</p><p>&#8220;Yeah, we want four,&#8221; Knaus said. &#8220;Why not? That&#8217;s why we&#8217;re here. We think we got the team, the resources with Hendrick Motorsports and Team Chevrolet behind us. We can definitely go for four championships in a row.&#8221;</p><p>Should they get it, even his bland personality won&#8217;t keep Johnson from being considered a racing legend.