Sonstiges » defenseman took part in the teams workout Friday.Keith withdrew

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. Nike Zoom Sale . -- Ken Appleby made 32 saves for his first shutout of the season to lead the Oshawa Generals to a 2-0 win over the Belleville Bulls on Wednesday in Ontario Hockey League action. Nike Zoom Uk . Boucher previously coached the Tampa Bay Lightning and had a 97-78-20 record over two-plus seasons. He was dismissed by the team last March after the Lightning struggled in the lockout-shortened season with a 13-18-1 record. http://www.cheapnikezoomuk.com/ . A lawyer for MLB, Matthew Menchel, confirmed Wednesday the league dropped its case against Biogenesis of America, its owner Anthony Bosch and several other individuals. The lawsuit had accused Biogenesis and Bosch of conspiring with players to violate their contracts by providing them with banned performance-enhancing substances. Nike Zoom Uk Sale . Nigeria beat surprise package Ethiopia 2-0 in the second leg of their playoff for a comfortable 4-1 aggregate victory. Victor Moses converted a 20th-minute penalty after an Ethiopian handball, and Victor Obinna made certain of Nigerias place in Brazil with his powerful free kick in the 82nd at UJ Esuene Stadium. Nike Zoom Cheap Sale .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. CHICAGO -- Duncan Keith was back on the ice for the Chicago Blackhawks first practice of preseason camp.The two-time Norris Trophy winner as the NHLs top defenseman took part in the teams workout Friday.Keith withdrew from Team Canada at the World Cup of Hockey to continue rehabbing his right knee, and went through a practice that lasted roughly 25 minutes. He said hes been skating this month just trying to get going and that he is happy with the progression that its been, basically since I started skating again.Assistant coach Mike Kitchen -- whos running the team while coach Joel Quenneville is with the Canadian team at the World Cup of Hockey -- said the plan is for Keith to come along at his own pace.ddddddddddddHell let us know when hes ready to step in on scrimmage, and we can kind of rev it up a little bit in practice doing some individual drills with him, if it gets to that point, Kitchen said.The team also posted a video of Keith walking toward the rink before Fridays practice.The three-time Stanley Cup winner with the Blackhawks had surgery last October to fix a torn meniscus. He returned less than a month later, and finished the season with nine goals, 34 assists and an average ice time of 25 minutes, 14 seconds. ' ' '