MIAMI, FL—Following a ninth-place finish in the Ford 400 Sunday that clinched him NASCAR's Nextel Cup championship, an emotional Jimmie Johnson tearfully forgave the front lug nut that almost came loose during Lap 116. "Gol' durn it, lug nut, you… you son of a gun, you really had me scared there," said Johnson, who apologized for "getting so angry" and "saying things about the lug nut in the heat of the moment that are both untrue and not suitable to be repeated." "But I never thought for a minute you'd let me down. You're the glue that holds my tires, my car, and this great sport together—and I mean that." Johnson added that, despite earning his first career Nextel Cup win, he still may never be able to forgive the punctured radiator that ruined his chances for the title in 2004.