Denny Hamlin

"To think about the greats before me and this is something none of them have done, it's unbelievable," said Johnson, whose No. 48 Chevrolet finished behind the cars of Denny Hamlin, Jeff Burton, Kevin Harvick and Kurt Busch. All have flashed plenty of late-season momentum, but Hamlin was the first to throw down the gauntlet after his fourth victory of 2009 - doubling his previous single-season best. "I promise the next couple of years we're going to win the championship,"

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"What makes the No. 48 strong is the two of them [Jimmie Johnson and Chad Knaus] have been together for a long time," says Denny Hamlin's crew chief, Mike Ford.

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"I thought Denny did the right thing," Burton said.

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"I've got a feeling that when he wakes up in the morning, he's not going to feel any better about himself," said Keselowski, an impetuous 21-year-old newcomer who has scored four Nationwide victories this year but ruffled more feathers than Hamlin's along the way. "I feel great right now,"

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"I thought Denny did the right thing," he said. "When you constantly get spun out by the same guy, you've got to put your foot down. It should never get that far but there comes a point where you can no longer take it."

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Hamlin surprised some in February when he declared that "it's time to be a champion. Not a guy that contends."

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"I think everyone has got a little fight in them," Hamlin said.

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"Maybe they looked at it and said, 'It's worth it,"' Hamlin said.

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"We're going to be there, I promise you," Hamlin said. "I promise you, the next couple years, we're going to win the championship. But right now, there's no one more deserving than Jimmie."

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"There is no more deserving champion than Jimmie Johnson," said Denny Hamlin after winning yesterday's race. "This is no fluke. It is the present and could be the future."

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