Die Macht » Bradford was obviously not brought in to be a backup.

AVONDALE, Ariz. -- Jimmie Johnson and Carl Edwards are already locked into NASCARs final four. Many people believe Kevin Harvick is almost a lock, given his record in recent years at Phoenix International Raceway.So whos left? Who are the other drivers fighting for the right to race for the 2016 Sprint Cup Championship next weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway?This is the third year for the elimination-style Chase, and Sundays Can-Am 500 at PIR has the potential to produce the kind of playoff-level drama to identify the Homestead contenders that NASCAR was hoping for when it shook up the championship format.There will be 40 drivers trying to win the 312-lap race, but the stakes are higher for those who remain Chase-eligible: Joey Logano, Kyle Busch, Matt Kenseth, Denny Hamlin and Kurt Busch. And, of course, Harvick, whose mastery of Phoenix will be put to the test as he tries to rally from seventh in the standings into the top four.Theres a tremendous scrap going on for the final two open transfers, with Logano and the trio of Joe Gibbs Racing teammates -- Kyle Busch, Kenseth and Hamlin -- all separated by just two points. Meanwhile, Harvick and Stewart-Haas Racing teammate Kurt Busch face the longest odds. Harvick is 16 points out of fourth place in the points, while Buschs 34-point deficit puts him in a must-win situation.Harvicks chances of upping his run of five wins in his last six Cup Series starts at Phoenix will be examined in a separate story. Heres a look at the rest of the Chase-eligible contenders.Joey Logano, 4,074 points: Logano is the youngest and least experienced of the remaining eight, but he already has Final Four experience during the elimination era. Although he has never won a Cup race at Phoenix, the driver of the No. 22 Team Penske Ford is a solid performer on the desert mile, with three top-5s and eight top-10s in 15 starts. He has finished top-10 in six of his last seven races at Phoenix, including a third-place in the November 2015 event.This has been a good racetrack for us, Logano said. In the past we have run really well here. We havent gotten the win yet, but we have come really close and we had a good car here in the spring, as well.Logano realizes that much of the focus Sunday will be on Harvick and the three Gibbs Toyota drivers, so Logano has tried to remain focused on his own task. He was quickest among the Chase-eligible drivers in the first Cup Series practice at Phoenix, running second to Ganassi Racings Kyle Larson.We have learned as a race team to worry about ourselves, Logano said. That is the only way we will control our own destiny. We also learn from what other people are doing to change what we are doing sometimes.Kyle Busch, 4,074 points: Busch owns a Phoenix win, but it came back in 2005. His career numbers include five top-5s and 14 top-10s.Busch is the defending Cup Series champion, and outside of Harvick (who has never been eliminated from a Chase round since this format was introduced in 2014), few drivers have demonstrated they are more capable of performing at their best when they need to.When you do have a championship, you dont have the same pressure and tension and kind of float through the process and let what comes to you come to you, Busch said. Thats what we did last year. This year we are doing the same sort of thing and making sure we do all the right things to have a solid Sunday so we can move on to next week.Thats what our mindset is and what our goals are.Busch knows he simply needs to stay ahead of the drivers he is racing for Final Four eligibility.We just need to make sure we finish ahead of those who we are racing, he noted. Were all so tight that it all boils down to just finishing ahead of those we are around. We have to beat the 20 [Kenseth], we have to beat the 11 [Hamlin] and we have to beat the 22 [Logano].If we do all those things, then well be fine.Matt Kenseth, 4,073 points: Given a choice, Kenseth would probably prefer to be racing for the transfer into the Final Four at a track other than Phoenix. His sole win in 27 PIR starts came back in 2002, and he has managed just six top-5s and 11 top-10s. Kenseth has finished in the top 12 at Phoenix only three times since 2010.I feel like weve had some good runs here, he said. It hasnt been our strongest track probably the last four or five years, but in the spring we didnt run bad. I think when were on, we can be competitive here.Kenseth refuses to believe that having three JGR drivers fighting over the remaining two transfer spots will hurt the teams efforts in the lead-up to Sundays race.I think that we work better together as a group than anything Ive ever been part of, he said. So far that hasnt changed at all over the four years that Ive been there. So I wouldnt think that it would change this weekend, and I wouldnt think it would change next weekend.Certainly, once the race starts, obviously were all trying to get the best finishes we can for our respective teams, he added. But I think during the weekend we all share everything we learn throughout practice, bounce ideas off of each other, and try to as a group come up with the best setups that we can for Sunday.?Denny Hamlin, 4,072 points: Of the remaining Final Four hopefuls outside of Harvick, Hamlin has the best record at Phoenix, with a win in 2012 and 10 top-5s. However, he has racked up three finishes of 19th or worse since that win.Hamlin was at the center of the Gibbs teams controversy after the race two weeks ago at Martinsville, with Kenseth and Busch believing he may have blocked them from achieving better finishes. The third-place that Hamlin earned that day may prove to be important in the event that a tiebreaker is involved in sorting out the points for Homestead.Were all going to battle each other hard and race each other as hard as we can because we all ultimately know that we have to beat each other to get in, he said. You do it as fair and clean as you can.For me, if I dont make it, we just didnt run good enough, he added. If we dont make it, its not my teammates fault -- its our own. We know we have to run up front, and every position matters.Hamlin admitted that he wouldnt have any issues with roughing up a competitor late in the race at Phoenix for one of the transfer spots to Homestead, but said he would draw the line at wrecking a teammate.Thats my answer today, he joked.If one of my teammates wrecks me this weekend, Ill be mad for a couple days and Ill get over it, he added. I mean, its just part of it. I respect them all enough to understand that we are competitors, but we are also teammates, and thats a very fine line. Youre going to have hurt feelings here and there because we are battling each other -- which is what we all wanted to do.Kurt Busch, 4,040 points: The Busch brothers both won at Phoenix in 2005, and Kurt has notched 16 top-10s in 27 starts. He has finished in the top seven in six of his last seven attempts, but with a 34-point deficit to Logano and Kyle Busch, he knows that a win on Sunday is his only realistic chance of advancing to Homestead.Lots of math can be thrown into it, and theres other variables with teammates that are in and teammates that are out, but in all honesty, it comes down to raw speed, it comes down to execution and being able to have the perfect type of race, Busch said. This type of format demands perfection and being able to win at any moment to continue to advance or to win the title.You just give it your all, he added. Theres no second-guessing things. You go for it, dont look back, and you try to be your best at that moment. Los Angeles Lakers Shirts . Parker had 26 points and eight assists and San Antonio beat Toronto 112-99 Monday night. "We won that game because of Tony Parkers aggressiveness," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "His juice; his aggression all night long. Wholesale Lakers Jerseys . Dusautoir, the former World Player of the Year, sustained a torn bicep playing for Toulouse in the Heineken Cup on Saturday. The flanker, who has played 65 times for France, is expected to be out for up to four months. https://www.lakersjerseycheap.com/ . LOUIS -- Lance Lynn was one of the more enthusiastic participants as the St. Lakers Jerseys 2020 .Y. - Jerome Samson scored once in regulation and again in the shootout as the St. Lakers Jerseys 2019 .ca NFL Power Rankings, overtaking the Denver Broncos and remaining ahead of NFC competition San Francisco, Carolina and New Orleans. EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. -- The Minnesota Vikings have ruled two starters out against Green Bay due to knee injuries, defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd and cornerback Xavier Rhodes.Theyre still trying to be secretive about their starting quarterback for Sunday, even though all signs have been pointing toward Sam Bradford making his debut. Coach Mike Zimmer declined again on Friday to confirm his decision, after Shaun Hill took the snaps in the season opener.It is ... Zimmer said after practice with mock suspense, well find out Sunday.The coach said he believes Bradford is ready to start.He could, Zimmer said, before flashing a sly smile. Shauns ready, too.The Vikings acquired Bradford nearly two weeks ago in a trade with Philadelphia for two premium draft picks, including their first-round selection in 2017, but Hill started the opener at Tennessee. The 15-year veteran fared relatively well in the 25-16 victory, completing 18 of 33 passes for 236 yards without a sack or a turnover, but Bradford was obviously not brought in to be a backup.He comes in pretty early in the morning and stays late, Zimmer said. Hes worked enough to get ready.Coaches and players have raved about Bradfords ability to be a quick study in the offense.I think it gets better every day, Bradford said earlier this week.Packers coach Mike McCarthy even said hes expecting Bradford to start in what will be the first regular season game at U.S. Bank Stadium.Hes getting a chemistry with the receivers, the tight ends, the backs, offensive coordinator Norv Turner said. Thats the hhardest thing.ddddddddddddThe Vikings also ruled out backup tight end MyCole Pruitt (knee), who missed the opener, too. Left tackle Matt Kalil (hip) returned to practice on a limited basis on Friday and was listed as questionable to face Green Bays star pass-rusher Clay Matthews.Neither Floyd nor Rhodes practiced at all this week in preparation for the Packers. Rhodes didnt play in the first game, after feeling a popping sensation in his knee while stretching during warmups. Trae Waynes replaced him in the starting lineup.I think hes come a long way with his confidence, with his technique, Zimmer said of Waynes, who was drafted in the first round last year.Floyd saw limited action, taking 25 of 67 snaps. Defensive linemen never play the whole game because of the physical demands of the position, and the Vikings have a deep group. Still, Floyd played less than backup Tom Johnson (29 snaps) as second-string nose tackle Shamar Stephen (22 snaps) also rotated in.Floyd has been unable to put together a full season since he was drafted in the first round in 2013 and served as a backup to Kevin Williams. Floyd missed three games last season with the knee injury and two games two years ago. He was dogged by it again during training camp, and now theres this latest setback.Im kind of used to it, Zimmer said.---Online:AP NFL website: http://www.pro32.ap.org and AP NFL coverage on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '