The Boston Bruins have already put their brutal October behind them.
The defending Stanley Cup champions opened November with a 5-3 win over the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday night, getting back-to-back goals from Johnny Boychuk and Daniel Paille 47 seconds apart to break open a tie game in the third period.
After going 3-7 in October, the Bruins looked much more like the team that hoisted the Cup in June than the bumbling bunch that returned this fall and finished the opening month with the worst record in the Eastern Conference.
"We were dumping the puck well, retrieving the puck well. I thought that you just could tell we were getting better and better every shift that we did that," said Chris Kelly, who had a goal and an assist. "I thought for the most part that was the most consistent effort that we've had so far this year."
Zdeno Chara had two assists for the Bruins, who ended the Senators' six-game winning streak.
Boston outshot Ottawa 41-26 and shut down the NHL's top power play, holding Ottawa scoreless on three chances with the man advantage. Ottawa had 13 power-play goals in its first 12 games.
The Bruins controlled the second period and took a 3-2 lead on goals by Patrice Bergeron and Kelly, then put in two more after Ottawa's Jared Cowen tied it at 3-all on his first NHL goal with 14:56 left in the game.
Boychuk gave Boston a 4-3 lead with a slap shot from the point for his first goal of the season, and less than a minute later Shawn Thornton tipped a pass to Paille for a breakaway goal that put the Bruins up by two.
That was a big enough cushion for Tim Thomas (4-4), who finished with 23 saves.
"We definitely had the puck the most that we've had it all year, at least that's what it felt like," Thomas said. "We had it in their end and we just had our feet moving."
Craig Anderson (6-3) stopped 36 shots for Ottawa, which hadn't lost since Oct. 18.
"I think the Stanley Cup champions showed up and they decided they wanted to play. They were determined to win, and the solutions that we had for them weren't working," Ottawa coach Paul MacLean said. "They were quicker than us. They were on the puck better than we were. They made us play in our end way, way too much. When those things happen, bad things happen."
Nick Foligno finished with a goal and two assists, and Stephane DaCosta had a goal and his first NHL assist for Ottawa.
After getting outplayed in the second, the Senators grinded out the early part of the third and tied it when Foligno dropped a pass back to the point to Cowen, who fired a slap shot past a screen of players and Thomas' right pad.
But Boychuk tied it on a blast from the point with 13:19 to go, and Paille got loose for a breakaway goal on Anderson with 12:42 left.
"We stayed patient and we stayed strong in the defensive zone," Paille said. "Toward the end of the game we didn't give them too much."
Foligno gave Ottawa a 1-0 lead in the first period when he grabbed a loose puck and lofted a backhander off Thomas' blocker. The puck dropped behind him, and Bobby Butler crashed the net for Ottawa, occupying Thomas and the Bruins as the puck trickled across the goal line.
Milan Lucic tied it with a power-play goal with 12:48 left in the first, lifting a rebound over Anderson, but Ottawa struck again barely a minute later.
Foligno pounced on a loose puck and slid a backward pass between his legs to DaCosta, who poked a shot past Thomas as the details of Lucic's goal were being announced to the crowd.
2011年11月1日星期二
2011年9月28日星期三
Cardinals rally to pull into wild-card tie with Braves
After St. Louis was swept by the Los Angeles Dodgers in late August, Cardinals manager Tony La Russa thought his team would fall short of the post-season once again.
Less than a month later, the Cardinals are tied with Atlanta for the NL wild-card lead.
Pinch-hitter Ryan Theriot delivered a tiebreaking two-run triple in the seventh inning, cheap jerseys from china leading St. Louis to a 13-6 victory over the Houston Astros on Tuesday night.
The sliding Braves lost 7-1 to Philadelphia, sending the race for the NL's final playoff spot to the last day of the regular season. If the teams are tied after Wednesday's game, St. Louis will host a one-game playoff on Thursday night.
"Yeah, when we got swept by the Dodgers," La Russa said when asked if he doubted his team could make such a run. "When I saw our schedule I said: 'We could finish under .500 if we don't start getting it back together.' And we did."
St. Louis has won 21 of 29 games since that sweep, moving to the brink of what not so long ago seemed like an improbable goal.
"It's kind of fed us here the last few days, 120 years of baseball and this is one of those historic runs to tie," La Russa said. "But there's a different story between tying and finishing it off. So tomorrow we'll see if we can go take another step."
The Cardinals trailed 5-0 early and appeared to be headed for a second straight loss to the Astros. But St. Louis scored five times in the fourth and erased a 6-5 deficit with a four-run seventh.
Lance Berkman hit a two-out single and scored on Allen Craig's tying double. Craig entered in the third inning when Matt Holliday departed with discomfort in his right hand.
Yadier Molina walked before Theriot hit his clutch triple to make it 8-6.
Nick Punto, who had four hits, doubled in Theriot in the seventh and had a solo homer in the ninth. Craig padded the lead with a three-run homer to the Crawford Boxes in left field in the eighth.
"You play all year for an opportunity to play in October," Theriot said. "So it's a good feeling to know that we put ourselves in a spot that we could possibly do that, to do what we've done this last month and keep playing."
Eduardo Sanchez (3-1) struck out two in 1 1-3 innings for the win in a game that included seven Cardinals relievers following an early exit by Jake Westbrook. It was Sanchez's first appearance since June 12 because of a shoulder injury.
Berkman booed
Skip Schumaker drove in three runs in the fourth, and Berkman had three hits and scored three times. The crowd booed loudly when Berkman, the longtime Astros star, scored in the seventh.
The Astros jumped on Westbrook for seven hits and five runs in 2 1-3 innings to take the early lead.
Enerio Del Rosario (0-3) yielded two hits and three runs for the loss.
Brian Bogusevic singled to start the Astros' fifth before consecutive walks loaded the bases. Bogusevic scored when Jimmy Paredes grounded into a double play, giving Houston a 6-5 lead.
David Freese walked to start the big fourth inning by St. Louis. Berkman singled with one out, and the runners advanced on a wild pitch by Henry Sosa.
Craig then walked before Molina singled in a run and Schumaker cleared the bases with a double to centre, chasing Sosa. David Carpenter came in and allowed Jon Jay's tying sacrifice fly later in the inning.
The Astros scored four times in the third. Brett Wallace had a two-run single and Paredes added a two-run triple that rolled up on the corner of Tal's Hill in centre field.
Bogusevic was disappointed that Houston let its early advantage slip away.
"It's not over in the third or fourth inning, and we knew there was still a lot of baseball yet to be played," he said. "We tried to add on and hold them off, but it didn't work today."
Cardinals star Albert Pujols got hit on the right elbow by a ball that glanced off his bat for a foul in the seventh. He writhed in pain for a minute before trainers came and checked on him. He continued his at-bat after a short delay, flew out to left field and played the rest of the game.
Less than a month later, the Cardinals are tied with Atlanta for the NL wild-card lead.
Pinch-hitter Ryan Theriot delivered a tiebreaking two-run triple in the seventh inning, cheap jerseys from china leading St. Louis to a 13-6 victory over the Houston Astros on Tuesday night.
The sliding Braves lost 7-1 to Philadelphia, sending the race for the NL's final playoff spot to the last day of the regular season. If the teams are tied after Wednesday's game, St. Louis will host a one-game playoff on Thursday night.
"Yeah, when we got swept by the Dodgers," La Russa said when asked if he doubted his team could make such a run. "When I saw our schedule I said: 'We could finish under .500 if we don't start getting it back together.' And we did."
St. Louis has won 21 of 29 games since that sweep, moving to the brink of what not so long ago seemed like an improbable goal.
"It's kind of fed us here the last few days, 120 years of baseball and this is one of those historic runs to tie," La Russa said. "But there's a different story between tying and finishing it off. So tomorrow we'll see if we can go take another step."
The Cardinals trailed 5-0 early and appeared to be headed for a second straight loss to the Astros. But St. Louis scored five times in the fourth and erased a 6-5 deficit with a four-run seventh.
Lance Berkman hit a two-out single and scored on Allen Craig's tying double. Craig entered in the third inning when Matt Holliday departed with discomfort in his right hand.
Yadier Molina walked before Theriot hit his clutch triple to make it 8-6.
Nick Punto, who had four hits, doubled in Theriot in the seventh and had a solo homer in the ninth. Craig padded the lead with a three-run homer to the Crawford Boxes in left field in the eighth.
"You play all year for an opportunity to play in October," Theriot said. "So it's a good feeling to know that we put ourselves in a spot that we could possibly do that, to do what we've done this last month and keep playing."
Eduardo Sanchez (3-1) struck out two in 1 1-3 innings for the win in a game that included seven Cardinals relievers following an early exit by Jake Westbrook. It was Sanchez's first appearance since June 12 because of a shoulder injury.
Berkman booed
Skip Schumaker drove in three runs in the fourth, and Berkman had three hits and scored three times. The crowd booed loudly when Berkman, the longtime Astros star, scored in the seventh.
The Astros jumped on Westbrook for seven hits and five runs in 2 1-3 innings to take the early lead.
Enerio Del Rosario (0-3) yielded two hits and three runs for the loss.
Brian Bogusevic singled to start the Astros' fifth before consecutive walks loaded the bases. Bogusevic scored when Jimmy Paredes grounded into a double play, giving Houston a 6-5 lead.
David Freese walked to start the big fourth inning by St. Louis. Berkman singled with one out, and the runners advanced on a wild pitch by Henry Sosa.
Craig then walked before Molina singled in a run and Schumaker cleared the bases with a double to centre, chasing Sosa. David Carpenter came in and allowed Jon Jay's tying sacrifice fly later in the inning.
The Astros scored four times in the third. Brett Wallace had a two-run single and Paredes added a two-run triple that rolled up on the corner of Tal's Hill in centre field.
Bogusevic was disappointed that Houston let its early advantage slip away.
"It's not over in the third or fourth inning, and we knew there was still a lot of baseball yet to be played," he said. "We tried to add on and hold them off, but it didn't work today."
Cardinals star Albert Pujols got hit on the right elbow by a ball that glanced off his bat for a foul in the seventh. He writhed in pain for a minute before trainers came and checked on him. He continued his at-bat after a short delay, flew out to left field and played the rest of the game.
2011年9月15日星期四
Warriors to retire Mullin's jersey No. 17
The Golden State Warriors announced they will retire Hall of Famer Chris Mullin's jersey No. 17 at a ceremony on January 20, when the team is scheduled to host the Indiana Pacers.
Mullin, who spent 13 years of his 16-season NBA career as a member of the Warriors, will become the sixth player in team history to have his jersey number retired, joining Alvin Attles, Rick Barry, Wilt Chamberlain, Tom Meschery and Nate Thurmond.
"This is certainly a tremendous honor and one that I will cherish, especially when you consider the few, elite gentlemen who have preceded me," said Mullin.
Mullin was a five-time NBA All-Star and collegiate standout at St. John's, where he is still the all-time scoring leader and was named Big East Player of the Year an unprecedented three times. In addition to his 1992 gold medal, he also won Olympic gold as a collegian in 1984, then played 16 NBA seasons for Golden State and Indiana, amassing 17,911 points. He was enshrined into the Hall of Fame this summer.
Mullin, who spent 13 years of his 16-season NBA career as a member of the Warriors, will become the sixth player in team history to have his jersey number retired, joining Alvin Attles, Rick Barry, Wilt Chamberlain, Tom Meschery and Nate Thurmond.
"This is certainly a tremendous honor and one that I will cherish, especially when you consider the few, elite gentlemen who have preceded me," said Mullin.
Mullin was a five-time NBA All-Star and collegiate standout at St. John's, where he is still the all-time scoring leader and was named Big East Player of the Year an unprecedented three times. In addition to his 1992 gold medal, he also won Olympic gold as a collegian in 1984, then played 16 NBA seasons for Golden State and Indiana, amassing 17,911 points. He was enshrined into the Hall of Fame this summer.
2011年9月1日星期四
Bruins GM says Savard's playing career in doubt: report
Bruins General Manager Peter Chiarelli told the Globe that the two-time All-Star is still experiencing concussion-related issues that limited him to 25 games last season and he will not be in training camp when it opens next month.
"Based on what I see, what I hear, what I read, and what I'm told, it's very unlikely Marc will play again," Chiarelli said in a report on the Globe's website.
"Now, knowing the uncertainty of this injury, there's always Cheap Jerseys a chance (he could play). But based on what I'm told, it's very unlikely he'll play."
Once rated as one of the NHL's top centers, Savard has seen his career derailed by concussions.
Savard's concussion problems turned serious in March 2010 after an elbow to the head from Pittsburgh Penguins Matt Cooke left him unconscious on the ice.
He missed the start of last season and returned to play 25 games but was sidelined again on January 22 after sustaining his second concussion in 10 months.
Savard has 207 goals and 499 assists during a 13-season career that has included stints with the New York Rangers, Calgary Flames, Atlanta Thrashers and Bruins.
"Marc Savard won't play this year," Chiarelli told the Globe. "Nothing has changed in our monitoring. "He'll be examined and he'll be declared unfit to play."
2011年8月27日星期六
Kyle Busch, the Drama King, is in the limelight
Kyle Busch expected to be the center of attention at Bristol Motor Speedway, where he’s won four of the last five Sprint Cup races.
But it’s been a busy week even by Busch’s standards, beginning with the loss of his driver’s license Tuesday as punishment for his 128-mph speeding ticket back in May. Then came an on-track incident in Wednesday night’s Truck Series race that once again put him at odds with Kevin Harvick.
After Busch tangled with Elliott Sadler, who drives for Harvick in the Nationwide Series, he intentionally wrecked Sadler.
Busch indicated the incident stemmed from his problems with Harvick.
But Sadler wasn’t running for Kevin Harvick Inc. at the time. Asked Friday whether he’d spoken to Busch, Harvick went right into attack mode.
“He keeps running his mouth, he might get it whipped again off the track,” Harvick said.
And so it goes with Busch, the Sprint Cup Series points leader. He leads the series with four victories, and despite his 23rd-place qualifying effort Friday — Ryan Newman won the pole — has to be considered a threat to win tonight’s race.
But he’s once again in the center of the storm. Controversy can work for some drivers — it’s long been believed that two-time series champion Tony Stewart is at his best when surrounded by drama — but Busch isn’t so sure about the adversity.
“It can bring out the best and it can bring out the worst, certainly,” he said. “It’s about every day I’ve got something. I’m getting pretty used to it.”
The question becomes: Can Busch continue to keep up his pace while constantly facing a different drama?
Four-time series champion Jeff Gordon said he personally couldn’t produce but said it doesn’t seem to bother Busch or his older brother, Kurt.
“I couldn’t, but the Busch brothers seem to do it very well,” Gordon said. “I think it’s pretty well documented and clear that they get very excited and share their emotions over the radio quite often, and they’re still able to go to Victory Lane.”
The 10-race Chase for the Sprint Cup championship is a different animal, though, and Busch has yet to make it through unscathed. He’s already considering the mental aspects of the upcoming stretch. There are just three races remaining until the Chase begins, and Busch doesn’t want much to change in how his Joe Gibbs Racing team is operating.
“It’s just about playing it smart,” Busch said. “For us, we just want to go out there and keep doing what we’ve been doing all year.”
But it’s been a busy week even by Busch’s standards, beginning with the loss of his driver’s license Tuesday as punishment for his 128-mph speeding ticket back in May. Then came an on-track incident in Wednesday night’s Truck Series race that once again put him at odds with Kevin Harvick.
After Busch tangled with Elliott Sadler, who drives for Harvick in the Nationwide Series, he intentionally wrecked Sadler.
Busch indicated the incident stemmed from his problems with Harvick.
But Sadler wasn’t running for Kevin Harvick Inc. at the time. Asked Friday whether he’d spoken to Busch, Harvick went right into attack mode.
“He keeps running his mouth, he might get it whipped again off the track,” Harvick said.
And so it goes with Busch, the Sprint Cup Series points leader. He leads the series with four victories, and despite his 23rd-place qualifying effort Friday — Ryan Newman won the pole — has to be considered a threat to win tonight’s race.
“It can bring out the best and it can bring out the worst, certainly,” he said. “It’s about every day I’ve got something. I’m getting pretty used to it.”
The question becomes: Can Busch continue to keep up his pace while constantly facing a different drama?
Four-time series champion Jeff Gordon said he personally couldn’t produce but said it doesn’t seem to bother Busch or his older brother, Kurt.
“I couldn’t, but the Busch brothers seem to do it very well,” Gordon said. “I think it’s pretty well documented and clear that they get very excited and share their emotions over the radio quite often, and they’re still able to go to Victory Lane.”
The 10-race Chase for the Sprint Cup championship is a different animal, though, and Busch has yet to make it through unscathed. He’s already considering the mental aspects of the upcoming stretch. There are just three races remaining until the Chase begins, and Busch doesn’t want much to change in how his Joe Gibbs Racing team is operating.
“It’s just about playing it smart,” Busch said. “For us, we just want to go out there and keep doing what we’ve been doing all year.”
2011年8月22日星期一
Power Rankings: Down Hamlin already eyeing 2012
Denny Hamlin may not yet be out but he's sure down.
After suffering through another miserable day Sunday at Michigan that ended with a trip into the wall and a 35th-place finish in the Pure Michigan 400, Hamlin's chances of challenging for the Sprint Cup championship are bleak.
In fact, Hamlin himself says the odds of him even getting into the Chase to have a shot at the title are on life support.
"I don't know," Hamlin said, shaking his head after his dismal day in the Irish Hills. "I'm going to do everything I can -- to get better. It's tough. Trust me, it's going to be very, very tough on a realistic standpoint for us to just go out there and say, 'You know what? We'll suck it up the next three weeks.' There's more to it than that at this point. We've got to crawl first these next three races before we even think about what happens at Chicago."
Unless Hamlin can hang on to one of the two wild-card spots he currently holds, Chicago -- where the Chase begins in mid-September -- will be where his 2012 season begins.
Hamlin is at a point where he thinks that might not be the worst thing for the struggling Joe Gibbs Racing No. 11 team.
"Who knows, maybe missing the Chase would be the best thing for us for next year," he said. "We could spend 10 weeks screwing around and thinking of new ways to make our cars better and not have a points race for 10 weeks.
"I want to make the Chase. Trust me. [But] missing the Chase opens the door for communication, for us to take more chances and experiment with new things and if it makes us better next year, so be it."
It's hard to believe the driver who won eight races last season and went down to the wire in the championship race with Jimmie Johnson is talking about being a spectator for this year's Chase.
But with a rash of engine problems, assorted mechanical problems and a dash of bad luck thrown in for good measure, Hamlin's 2011 has been more of a nightmare than the dream he had hoped for after last season's success.
He still holds a ticket to the big dance in the form of a wild card, and despite his pessimistic attitude on Sunday he still plans on doing whatever he can to somehow right the ship and not just make the playoffs but be a presence when the Chase begins.
"We have three weeks to get ourselves back on track," Hamlin said. "I've got to get back to doing some of the stuff I did last year that made me successful, whether it be communicating more with [crew chief] Mike [Ford], whatever that is, I'm willing to do, whether it's Mike traveling with me to and from the race track every single week, we have to do whatever we have to do to get back to that."
He had better hurry.
After suffering through another miserable day Sunday at Michigan that ended with a trip into the wall and a 35th-place finish in the Pure Michigan 400, Hamlin's chances of challenging for the Sprint Cup championship are bleak.
In fact, Hamlin himself says the odds of him even getting into the Chase to have a shot at the title are on life support.
Unless Hamlin can hang on to one of the two wild-card spots he currently holds, Chicago -- where the Chase begins in mid-September -- will be where his 2012 season begins.
Hamlin is at a point where he thinks that might not be the worst thing for the struggling Joe Gibbs Racing No. 11 team.
"Who knows, maybe missing the Chase would be the best thing for us for next year," he said. "We could spend 10 weeks screwing around and thinking of new ways to make our cars better and not have a points race for 10 weeks.
"I want to make the Chase. Trust me. [But] missing the Chase opens the door for communication, for us to take more chances and experiment with new things and if it makes us better next year, so be it."
It's hard to believe the driver who won eight races last season and went down to the wire in the championship race with Jimmie Johnson is talking about being a spectator for this year's Chase.
But with a rash of engine problems, assorted mechanical problems and a dash of bad luck thrown in for good measure, Hamlin's 2011 has been more of a nightmare than the dream he had hoped for after last season's success.
He still holds a ticket to the big dance in the form of a wild card, and despite his pessimistic attitude on Sunday he still plans on doing whatever he can to somehow right the ship and not just make the playoffs but be a presence when the Chase begins.
"We have three weeks to get ourselves back on track," Hamlin said. "I've got to get back to doing some of the stuff I did last year that made me successful, whether it be communicating more with [crew chief] Mike [Ford], whatever that is, I'm willing to do, whether it's Mike traveling with me to and from the race track every single week, we have to do whatever we have to do to get back to that."
He had better hurry.
2011年8月20日星期六
Greg Biffle captures Sprint Cup pole position
Greg Biffle is still annoyed with Boris Said after their run-in at Watkins Glen.
That hasn't stopped him from focusing on this weekend's Sprint Cup race in Michigan.
Biffle won his first pole in over three years Friday at Michigan International Speedway, posting a qualifying lap of 190.345 m.p.h. in his No. 16 Ford. It was an important step in the right direction after he finished 31st at Watkins Glen on Monday, then confronted Said in the pits afterward and gave him a couple of quick hits while Said was still in his car.
Said had touched off a wild crash at the end of the road race.
“Our deal is over with,” Biffle said. “We had our differences on the race track, that one instance, I told him I wasn't happy with it on the race track and then I didn't go around him the rest of the day. We talked about that on the phone and it is over.”
Said is racing in Montreal this weekend, so he wasn't anywhere near Biffle during Sprint Cup qualifying.
“We've settled our differences,” Said explained. “I won't be going to Christmas dinner with him, that's for sure.”
Biffle is 13th in the points standings but without a win this year. A victory would be a significant boost to his hopes of reaching the Chase for the Sprint Cup.
He hasn't finished higher than fourth this year.
“We have to have a win to get in the Chase, that is obvious,” Biffle said. “Here, Bristol and Atlanta are good tracks for us. I think this is probably our best, and this may be our best opportunity — here or Atlanta. This is a huge deal for us and huge momentum for us going into Sunday.”
Matt Kenseth was second in qualifying, and Ryan Newman was third. Denny Hamlin, who held off Kenseth to win in Michigan in June, was fourth.
Kenseth will start in the top 10 for the sixth time this year. He's fifth in the points standings.
“We had a lot of speed, and honestly I wish I wouldn't have watched Greg's lap and saw his lap time,” Kenseth said. “If I hadn't tried so hard I might have had a shot at it. That is pretty fast.”
Dale Earnhardt Jr. qualified eighth, and points leader Kyle Busch was 17th.
Busch finished third here in June.
“Wish we would have had a better lap, but we will work on it tomorrow in race trim and hope we can run like we did here in June and have a shot to win,” Busch said.
Newman posted his ninth top-10 start of the season — and when he showed up for his news conference afterward, he couldn't avoid being dragged into the Biffle-Said dispute.
“I've never had an issue with Boris,” Newman said. “I read some of the things that he said. I don't think he's out of line in the things that he said, and I agree with some of the things that Biffle said as well. But, it's a competition out there, and it becomes a more sensitive issue when you have somebody who isn't full time in this series.”
That hasn't stopped him from focusing on this weekend's Sprint Cup race in Michigan.
Biffle won his first pole in over three years Friday at Michigan International Speedway, posting a qualifying lap of 190.345 m.p.h. in his No. 16 Ford. It was an important step in the right direction after he finished 31st at Watkins Glen on Monday, then confronted Said in the pits afterward and gave him a couple of quick hits while Said was still in his car.
Said had touched off a wild crash at the end of the road race.
“Our deal is over with,” Biffle said. “We had our differences on the race track, that one instance, I told him I wasn't happy with it on the race track and then I didn't go around him the rest of the day. We talked about that on the phone and it is over.”
Said is racing in Montreal this weekend, so he wasn't anywhere near Biffle during Sprint Cup qualifying.
“We've settled our differences,” Said explained. “I won't be going to Christmas dinner with him, that's for sure.”
Biffle is 13th in the points standings but without a win this year. A victory would be a significant boost to his hopes of reaching the Chase for the Sprint Cup.
He hasn't finished higher than fourth this year.
“We have to have a win to get in the Chase, that is obvious,” Biffle said. “Here, Bristol and Atlanta are good tracks for us. I think this is probably our best, and this may be our best opportunity — here or Atlanta. This is a huge deal for us and huge momentum for us going into Sunday.”
Matt Kenseth was second in qualifying, and Ryan Newman was third. Denny Hamlin, who held off Kenseth to win in Michigan in June, was fourth.
Kenseth will start in the top 10 for the sixth time this year. He's fifth in the points standings.
“We had a lot of speed, and honestly I wish I wouldn't have watched Greg's lap and saw his lap time,” Kenseth said. “If I hadn't tried so hard I might have had a shot at it. That is pretty fast.”
Dale Earnhardt Jr. qualified eighth, and points leader Kyle Busch was 17th.
Busch finished third here in June.
“Wish we would have had a better lap, but we will work on it tomorrow in race trim and hope we can run like we did here in June and have a shot to win,” Busch said.
Newman posted his ninth top-10 start of the season — and when he showed up for his news conference afterward, he couldn't avoid being dragged into the Biffle-Said dispute.
“I've never had an issue with Boris,” Newman said. “I read some of the things that he said. I don't think he's out of line in the things that he said, and I agree with some of the things that Biffle said as well. But, it's a competition out there, and it becomes a more sensitive issue when you have somebody who isn't full time in this series.”
订阅：
博文 (Atom)