Neuigkeiten rund um das Forum » scoring opportunity for either team. Th

HOMESTEAD, Fla. -- NASCAR will issue the requisite warning to drivers Sunday morning: Let the race play out naturally.In this scenario, naturally could mean crazily.Before this third version of the elimination-style Chase for the Sprint Cup, look at how the first two versions were decided at Homestead-Miami Speedway -- the site of the seasons final race -- with a race within the race, as the top finisher among the four finalists earns the title.* More crazy: In 2014, a Blake Koch-J.J. Yeley wreck with 12 laps remaining set up a dash for the finish, ruining the hopes of leader Denny Hamlin, who opted to stay out and became a sitting duck on the ensuing restart. Kevin Harvick went from 12th to the win, thanks to fresh tires and a strong car.* More natural: In 2015, a caution for debris with nine laps remaining bunched the field up, but Kyle Busch, the leader of the Chase drivers at the time, remained in front of his competitors on pit road. Busch was side-by-side with nemesis Brad Keselowski on the final restart, and Keselowski gave Busch -- and then Harvick behind him -- plenty of room to duke it out for the title. Busch was the eventual champion.The four 2016 finalists -- Kyle Busch (starting ninth), Carl Edwards (10th), Joey Logano (13th) and Jimmie Johnson (14th) -- have played nice with each other so far.Will the gloves come off? Or will it be one ecstatic driver with three disappointed but understanding drivers after the race? Will Michael McDowell (or someone else) have a tire issue in the waning laps -- as he has done in two of the past nine races -- and affect the outcome?Oh, and theres that matter of Johnson attempting to tie Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt with seven Cup titles.Im not running from it, Johnson said. Im not hiding from it. Its just truthfully right now for me to do my job and the preparation and all the stuff that goes into racing and being competitive. Its just not top of mind.?What to watch for:Team spirit: For the first time in the elimination format, two drivers from the same organization are among the four finalists.Busch and Edwards have joked around with each other this week, but they obviously cant forget what happened at Richmond earlier this year, when Edwards moved Busch for the win.Both drivers have made aggressive moves in the past, some that have worked and others that have ended up as futile. Team owner Joe Gibbs might not want them to wreck each other, but they both are so competitive that it would be hard to see them race without a little bit of aggression and nastiness with a championship on the line. Busch would love to prove people wrong and win back-to-back championships in a format that doesnt favor such a feat; Edwards wants to win a Cup title after three near misses in his career.Im not nervous or anything, Gibbs said Friday. I just walked into the womens restroom. Other than that, no harm, no foul.Rebounds from qualifying: None of the finalists seemed all that thrilled with their qualifying.We all sucked, Logano said.To be honest, qualifying in the top 15 isnt wonderful.But it wasnt horrible.We shoot for No.?1, Logano said. Thats what we shoot for. We all want to be faster than that, Im sure. Im sure not just [my] team, everyone wants to be quicker than that when you come here.But the good side is that were all around each other, so the penalty of starting back there isnt too severe, because everyone is in the same boat.None of the four drivers have problematic pit stalls from qualifying, and Edwards and Busch have openings on their way in, so they know they will have clear entry into their stalls all day. All but one of the drivers pitting next to the Chase drivers are starting among the last 10 on the grid.Pit road: Speaking of pit road, Johnson said he has moved on from the one-lap penalty he received last week for passing the pace car while running the apron to enter pit road.Johnson and his team were flabbergasted NASCAR made the call on them, feeling that they had entered the pit road the way they normally do. While he exchanged texts and voice mails with NASCAR officials during the week, Johnson said Friday he didnt plan on sitting down with NASCAR officials to discuss it.Its off my radar, Johnson said. Youre damned sure [and can] bet I wont pass that pace car, though. Im not playing that game again.Ive moved on. I just pray and hope that they officiate it the same way they did with me every stop, everybody whos up front.The drivers certainly are aware NASCAR likely will be watching. Busch said he saw video earlier this week of someone questioning whether he violated the rule last year at Homestead, where it appeared he might have been past the pace car.I guess maybe I was given the benefit of the doubt in that situation, but I never throttled up, like Jimmie did, even to keep those guys behind me, Busch said. If you look at the film, I got everybody bottled up and theyre all nose?to?tail beating the bumpers off of each other coming to pit road. It wasnt like I gassed it up.I guess its just all in how its perceived and how it looks, so dont make it look bad.The end of Smoke: Its the last Sprint Cup race for Tony Stewart, who will roll off 11th in his 618th career start.He hasnt been all that stout in practice, and few consider him to be a factor for the win. After 18 years of Cup racing, hes ready for his final event as a NASCAR driver.In the racing world, its a big change, but for me, its not going to be that big of a change, said Stewart, who plans to race sprint cars and still play a pivotal role as co-owner of Stewart-Haas Racing. I just look at it like its halftime of the ball game, in all honesty.This is the end of the first half, and next season, we start the second half; and its going to be just as much fun if not more fun than this first half was. Im excited about finishing this chapter, but Im really excited about starting the next chapter next year. Cleveland Indians Jerseys . -- Edmontons Val Sweeting is two wins away from a trip to Winnipeg to play in Canadas Road of the Rings in December. Francisco Lindor Jersey . Aaron Harrison scored a 22 points for Kentucky (6-1), which has won four in a row following a Nov. 12 loss to current No. 1 Michigan State. Julius Randle overcame a scoreless first half and added his sixth double-double in as many games with 14 points and 10 rebounds. http://www.indianssale.com/indians-roberto-perez-jersey/ . -- The goal posts lying flat on the field, Arizonas fans lingered on the field, congregating around the locker room entrance nearly 30 minutes after rushing out of the stands. Bob Feller Jersey . Thats not a comment on the suspension that banished the Portland Winterhawks general manager and coach from his Western Hockey League teams bench for most of the 2012-13 season. Omar Vizquel Indians Jersey . "It doesnt get any better than that," Giambi said. "Im speechless." The Indians are roaring toward October. Giambi belted a two-run, pinch-hit homer with two outs in the ninth inning to give Cleveland a shocking 5-4 win over the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday night, keeping the Indians up with the lead pack in the AL wild-card race. Rob Nelson of ESPN Stats & Information revisits the worst bad beats from the weekends gambling action.Closing lines are courtesy of Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook, and pick percentages are via Wunderdog Sports.Saturday?Kansas State Wildcats at Baylor BearsClosing line: Over/under 59Just less than 25 percent of the action was on the under in this one, and those bettors looked to be on the winning side. The game was scoreless with less than seven minutes left in the second quarter. Even after three touchdowns in final 6:43 of the half, the under was still in good shape with Kansas State leading 14-7. However, after a slow start, the points started coming bunches.?Unfortunately for those on the under, Baylor couldnt stop the Wildcats in the second half, specifically Alex Barnes. Kansas States freshman running back racked up four touchdowns after halftime, with the fourth score pushing the total over with 3:08 left in the game. There were 42 points scored in the second half, including 21 in the final 7:28.Final score: Kansas State 42, Baylor 21 (Game goes over)Virginia Cavaliers at Georgia Tech Yellow JacketsClosing line: Georgia Tech -10.5Despite entering the game with a 2-8 record, Virginia outplayed Georgia Tech for most of the way on Saturday, outgaining the Yellow Jackets by 88 yards, possessing the ball for 38:37 and coming up with 17 more first downs.Still, three late turnovers ultimately cost those who took Virginia and the points, including a back-breaker with just more than four minutes left. With the Cavaliers trailing 24-17, Matt Johns was picked off by Georgia Techs Lance Austin, who returned it 24 yards to the house. This marked the fifth ATS loss for Virginia in its past six games.Final score: Georgia Tech 31, Virginia 17 (Georgia Tech covers)?SundayJacksonville Jaguars at Detroit LionsClosing line: Lions -5The Jaguars came into this game with a 7-2 ATS record as an underdog of more than a field goal since last season. That trend looked like it was about to continue, until an excruciating final drive by the Lions. After a Jacksonville punt with a little more than eight minutes left, Detroit had the ball and a 23-19 lead. The Lions would proceed to go a drive that must have made anyone who bet the Jaguars go crazy.Two plays in particular are still haunting those bettors. On fourth-and-2 from the Jacksonville 46-yard line,?SenDerrick Marks?was penalized for encroachment to extend Detroits drive. The other play came on third-and-5 from the Jacksonville 36-yaard line, when the Lions were a first down away from being able to run out the clock.ddddddddddddThey got the first down, but Theo Riddick stopped the clock by going out of bounds. Four plays later, Matt Prater nailed a 43-yard field goal to put Detroit up seven with 22 seconds left. The Jaguars were outscored 10-0 in the final quarter.Final score: Lions 26, Jaguars 19 (Lions cover)?Chicago Bears at New York GiantsClosing line: Over/under 41.5After opening at 47.5, the over/under for this game moved all the way down to 41.5 by kickoff. Heavy winds were expected at Metlife Stadium, and that turned out to be a huge factor in this one. Playing without key offensive starters in Alshon Jeffery and Kyle Long, the Bears started strong, scoring on their first three possessions. Chicago led 16-9 at halftime, with the total on pace to go over.In the second half, the Giants scored touchdowns on their first two possessions and took a 22-16 lead with 6:49 left in third quarter. Why the weird score? Well, the teams combined to miss three extra-point attempts, including two by former Chicago kicker?Robbie Gould. Connor Barth?-- the Bears current leg -- added a missed field goal attempt early in the fourth, and that proved to be the last scoring opportunity for either team. The game ended with a 21:49 scoring drought, causing bettors who took the over to fall 3.5 points short of cashing their tickets.?Final score: Giants 22, Bears 16 (Total goes under)?Miami Dolphins at Los Angeles RamsClosing line: Pick emJared Goffs first start will be a tough one to forget if you took the Rams. Los Angeles led 10-0 and was driving into Dolphins territory late in the game. Faced with a fourth-and-1 with 6:45 left, coach Jeff Fisher elected to kick a field goal instead of going for it. At this point in the game, ESPNs win probability model gave the Rams more than a 97 percent chance to win.Thats when it all went downhill. Greg Zuerlein missed that 48-yard field goal attempt off the left upright, and then Miamis offense came alive. Ryan Tannehill led a pair of touchdown drives in the final minutes to give the Dolphins an improbable win. Not only will Fisher be blamed by those who bet on his Rams on Sunday, but the loss marked the 162nd of his career, tying him with Tom Landry for the second-most defeats in NFL history.Final score: Dolphins 14, Rams 10 (Dolphins cover) ' ' '