导出博客文章HOMESTEAD, Fla. -- Joe Gibbs Racing fielded two of the four entries competing
for the 2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup championship crown Sunday at Homestead-Miami
Speedway, and the JGR Toyotas driven by Carl Edwards and Kyle Busch appeared to
have the speed necessary to win the Ford EcoBoost 400.Then the stock car team
owned by the Hall of Fame football coach fumbled late in the contest.Edwards was
running second in the race and leading the four championship contenders as the
field lined up for a restart with 10 laps remaining, with Busch not far
behind.But Edwards attempt to block a fast-charging Joey Logano triggered a
nine-car wreck and instantly took him out of the championship equation. Busch
was then called in for a questionable stop for tires that left him too far
behind for the green-white-checkered overtime finish to challenge race (and
championship) winner Jimmie Johnson.For much of the 267-lap contest, Edwards
looked like the driver to beat in terms of the championship, usually holding the
upper hand over final four challengers Busch, Logano and Johnson. He led eight
times for a total of 47 laps.Edwards and Busch were disputing second place (and
the lead of the championship) behind race leader Kyle Larson in the closing
stages when Dylan Lupton grazed the Turn 2 wall to bring out the caution on Lap
253.Larson maintained the lead in the pits and Edwards lined up on the inside of
the front row for the restart. Meanwhile, a slow pit stop dropped Busch to sixth
place.When the green flew to start the 258th lap, Logano immediately shot to
Edwards inside. Edwards steered hard left, forcing both cars off the racetrack
toward the inner wall on the approach to Turn 1.Logano caught his fishtailing
car and continued into the corner. Edwards wasnt so lucky. After pounding the
inside wall, the orange Camry shot up the track and was collected at near full
speed by Kasey Kahnes Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, shoving it slightly
airborne and into hard contact with the outer wall.Six other cars were swept in,
including the Furniture Row Racing Toyota of Martin Truex Jr., which briefly
caught fire. None of the drivers was injured, but Edwards championship hopes
were as badly damaged as his mangled race car.Five years removed from when he
ended up second to Tony Stewart in the most memorable championship finish in
Chase history, Edwards once again came away from Homestead empty-handed.They put
it in my hands and thats all you can ask for, Edwards said. [Crew chief] Dave
Rogers, my guys, everybody, they did a good job. It didnt work out. This is
life. We performed well. We did our best. I just risked too much.Dave told me
before this race that its a pretty big reward [the championship] and remember
risk gets reward, he continued. I just had to push it. I couldnt go to bed
tonight and think that I gave him that lane.Edwards stopped at Loganos pit to
share a few words with Logano crew chief Todd Gordon. Despite the accident,
there was no animosity from Logano or his team.Its cool that Carl came up and
said that because I dont blame him, Logano remarked.?It was great racing. I
understand why he had to throw the block and he understands why I had to make
the move because that was for the win. That was the only shot that I had. That
was for the race and with 10 [laps] to go, what do you expect?? Its for a
championship.Thats just racing, he added. It hurt both of us, ultimately Carl a
little bit more, but its unfortunate.While Edwards was out of the race,
classified 34th, Logano and Busch were still in the thick of the championship
battle -- and Logano indirectly influenced Buschs race.Logano pitted for minor
repairs and fresh tires after a 31-minute red flag to clean up Edwards wreck. On
the subsequent restart, he shot through the field from eighth place to third,
flying past Busch in the process.The yellow flew again, and crew chief Adam
Stevens called Busch in for tires. But he was mired deeper in the pack than
Logano was, and while Logano finished fourth in the race, second among
championship contenders, Busch could work his way back up only to sixth.We had
one straightaway on our tires, and they [Logano] came in and put tires on and
they just blitzed right up through the middle and got to us before we even got
to Turn 1, Busch said. That just kind of killed it and ruined our race.All in
all, we fought hard tonight, he added. We gave it everything we had. We didnt
have the greatest race car today, but we had enough of one that we could run
with those guys. All things considered, we had a really good run tonight -- just
not good enough.It was a disappointing end to the 2016 campaign for the Gibbs
organization, which at times during the season looked like it might put all four
of its drivers into the Chase final.JGR cars led the most laps in 12 of the
years 36 races, with the satellite Furniture Row Racing entry driven by Truex
Jr. adding four more.But the Toyota attack fell short at Homestead. After
Edwards and Busch led the race for the championship through 90 percent of the
race, Johnson and Chevrolet snuck away with the title.They [Johnsons team] were
nowhere all day, and just kind of ran around in sixth but never really showed
their hand at all, Busch said. They didnt really show any speed, never led any
laps until the last one -- and thats the only one that really matters.Busch at
least has the satisfaction of knowing that he has a Cup Series title on his
résumé. For Edwards, who has finished second in the standings twice (2008 and
2011), the wait -- and the weight -- continues.He vows to return stronger than
ever.I was so proud of my guys and so happy with the performance, Edwards said.
That run to catch Kyle and pass him, that was everything I had. That was the
drive of my life and it didnt yield a championship, but I have a lot of pride in
how we performed.I am telling you, this team is going to be on fire next year,
he added. You watch out -- this is going to be awesome.
Authentic
Kylie Fitts Jersey .com) - The game was all punts and field goals before
Kodi Whitfields catch.
Wholesale
Chicago Bears Jerseys . And follow TSN.ca right through Deadline Day for
all the updates. From Pierre LeBrun While Anaheim GM Bob Murray said earlier
this season he was not going to trade Jonas Hiller despite the fact hes an
unrestricted free agent on July 1, some sources have told TSN Hockey Insider
Pierre LeBrun that Murray might be willing to move another goalie.
[url=http://www.cheapbearsjerseysauthentic.com/?tag=authentic-javon-wims-jersey]http://www.cheapbearsjerseysauthentic.com/?tag=authentic-javon-wims-jersey
. The Cleveland Indians, Tampa Bay Rays, and Texas Rangers all won on Sunday
meaning the Rangers will host the Rays in a play-in game on Monday.
Cheap Chicago Bears
Jerseys . Scott Kazmir allowed four hits in seven shutout innings,
Michael Brantley hit a two-run homer in a three-run first inning and the Indians
maintained their hold on an AL wild-card spot with a 4-1 win over the Houston
Astros on Saturday night.
Cheap
Bears Jerseys .C. Lions has come to an end. Banks told TSN on Jan 2 that
he had no interest in playing out the option year of his contract with the Lions
in 2014, and he again made that clear in a conversation with Lions GM Wally
Buono last week. LOS ANGELES -- The U.S. Department of Justice is suing AT&T
because its DirecTV unit allegedly orchestrated a backroom deal with competitors
to not carry the sole channel that broadcasts Dodgers baseball in Los
Angeles.The civil antitrust lawsuit filed Wednesday in Los Angeles federal court
accuses DirecTV of swapping information with cable companies Cox Communications
Inc., Charter Communications Inc. and AT&T -- before it acquired DirecTV --
during negotiations to carry SportsNet LA, the network owned by the Dodgers.The
complaint says the companies made the agreements to prevent competitors from
offering the channel to lure customers. Dodger fans were bitter they could only
watch games through Time Warner Cable -- now owned by Charter -- the past three
seasons.The government says DirecTV was the ringleader because it was the only
company that unlawfully talked to multiple rivals, and says that DirecTV
executives acknowledged that the satellite-TV company would be in a stronger
position if competing TV providers also did not carry the Dodgers channel.David
McAtee, the general counsel for AT&T, which bought DirecTV in Juuly 2015,
said in a statement that cable and satellite TV providers chose not to carry the
channel because the companies did not want to pass inflated prices on to
customers for a channel devoted only to the Dodgers.dddddddddddd He said
AT&T looked forward to presenting its side of the case in court.The Justice
Departments suit comes as it also needs to evaluate the telecoms giants proposed
$85.4 billion acquisition of Time Warner, the owner of channels including HBO,
CNN and TBS as well as film and TV studios.AT&Ts CEO has said that he
expects that any concerns regulators have regarding its Time Warner deal could
be addressed with conditions on the merger.But John Bergmayer, of
public-interest group Public Knowledge, said in a statement Wednesday that the
Justice Departments complaint illustrates that it is difficult for the
government to monitor companies behavior and enforce any restrictions on
behavior that result from deal conditions.---Tali Arbel contributed to this
report from New York. ' ' '
Find in Directory
Find in Events
Find in Marketplace