Beschwerden » theyll be moved to the bottom of the story.DEC. 21San Die

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. -- Matt Crafton had the luxury of winning one NASCAR Truck Series championship just by starting the race and grabbed a second title by finishing in the back of the pack.Under the revamped Truck playoff system this season, Crafton just may have to win the race to win it all.Crafton, the 2013 and 2014 series champion, should be the favorite to win Friday at Homestead-Miami Speedway in the first year of the Truck Chase format. The 40-year-old Crafton faces Johnny Sauter, Christopher Bell and Timothy Peters in the championship field. The first to finish out of the four contenders is the 2016 champion.Crafton, third in the standings last year, could have an edge because he won here last season, his first win on the 1.5-mile track. He has two wins this season and finished second and third in each of the last two Chase races.Crafton, in the No. 88 Toyota for ThorSport Racing, can join Jack Sprague for second on the career Truck series championship list with three. Ron Hornaday holds the series record with four titles.Crafton did not finish five races this season and likely wouldnt have competed for a championship under the old system.I wasnt a fan of (the Chase) at the start of 2016 when they said it, but now Im a big fan of it because Im getting to race for a championship, he said.Crafton and the other three championship drivers all caught a break when William Byron, who won six times and was the heavy championship favorite, blew an engine with 10 laps left at Phoenix and was eliminated.ThorSport Racing, owned by Duke and Rhonda Thorson, could use a championship as an emotional boost just months after a fire damaged much of the teams race shop in Sandusky, Ohio.The shop is not running at 100 percent. Its still not all there, Crafton said. I knew it was going to hurt us a little bit, but I didnt realize it was going to hurt it as bad as it did. It definitely put a damper on the way we ran because at that point we were just on a downward spiral.Yet, here are Crafton and ThorSport, resilient to the end.Crafton has remained content racing trucks as most of the rest of the field uses the series as the start of a methodical climb toward a Sprint Cup ride. He has one career Cup start, four in the second-tier Xfinity Series and 13 wins in 383 career Truck starts.Im very happy to finish my career out here, he said. I mean, yes, I would like to race the races in the Xfinity Series or run Cup races if I was on the right equipment. But if youre not going to be in the right equipment, youre not going to be able to contend to win. I really dont care to do it.He has the right equipment this year -- and the best accessory could be a championship trophy hoisted over his head.SAUTER FOR THE WINJoey Logano has paid attention to the Truck title race while pursuing his own NASCAR championship. His pick for series champ?Im a Johnny Sauter fan because hes awesome, Logano said.The 38-year-old Sauter had a career year driving the No. 21 Chevrolet for GMS Racing with three wins, 11 top-five finishes and a dominant run in the Chase. Sauter won back-to-back races in the No. 21 Chevrolet at Martinsville and Texas, and was runner-up last week at Phoenix. Sauter has three top fives, six top 10s and a 4.7 average finish over seven Chase races. He was second in the standings in 2011 and finished fourth in each of the past three years.Logano may think Sauter is the driver to beat. Sauter wont go that far.I dont ever consider myself the favorite, Sauter said. I feel really comfortable with where we are as an organization and as a team going into this race. But to say Im a favorite, that would not be doing ourselves a service.BELL TOLLS FOR TITLEBell, who has one win this season, drives the No. 4 Toyota for Kyle Busch Motorsports. Kyle Busch, the 2015 Cup champion, picked Bell to win the championship and but he may nail his prediction. The 21-year-old Bell shook off a slow start thanks to a pep talk from his championship owner.Bell recalled Busch telling him: Look, youve got great equipment. Youre a talented racecar driver. Everything will come together. You just got to stop trying to make it come together.Bell rebounded and reeled off top-10 finishes in seven of the last eight races.Do I consider myself the underdog? No, Bell said. Does everybody else? Probably. I think weve got everything it takes to be successful at Homestead. Our year has definitely not been the year that weve wanted. Weve only won one race. But were going to make it two after Friday.PETERED OUTPeters is the only championship driver without a win this season. Hes been steady with eight top-five finishes in the No. 17 Toyota for Red Horse Racing. The 36-year-old Peters has advanced this far with an underfunded team that has failed to sign a primary sponsor.Maybe tomorrow night we can cap off this big championship and attract the eyes of some sponsors and get it on our Tundra going forward in 2017, he said. Cheap Adidas Bruins Jerseys . General manager Jarmo Kekalainen told Aaron Portzline of The Columbus Dispatch on Friday that he wants to see Gaboriks contributions go beyond the scoresheet before considering a long-term deal for the soon-to-be unrestricted free agent. Wholesale Bruins Jerseys . MLS Commissioner Don Garber and Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez also will attend the session, which was announced Monday. The league has discussed placing its next two expansion teams in Miami and Atlanta. http://www.cheapbruinsjerseys.com/ .J. -- New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz will miss the rest of the season after having surgery on his left knee. Cheap Boston Bruins Jerseys . Their experience showed Tuesday as the No. 10 Badgers blunted a Saint Louis surge to win 63-57 and advance to face West Virginia in Wednesdays finals of the Cancun Challenge. Cheap Bruins Jerseys Authentic . The 31-year-old Spain midfielder hasnt played since Madrid lost in the Copa del Rey final to Atletico Madrid in May due to back and foot injuries. College footballs bowl season is finally here, and plenty of NFL talent evaluators will be watching to see how some of the top prospects perform. Here are the names to know from every bowl game, as the countdown to the 2017 NFL draft continues.?All times Eastern; once games have been played, theyll be moved to the bottom of the story.DEC. 21San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia BowlBYU vs. Wyoming?(9 p.m., ESPN)Kiper:?Chase Roullier, C, Wyoming. My No. 9-ranked center, Roullier?has?also played some guard. At 6-4, 313 pounds, that versatility is huge for the next level.DEC. 22Famous Idaho Potato BowlIdaho vs. Colorado State?(7 p.m., ESPN)McShay: Kevin Davis, ILB, Colorado State.?Davis leads the Rams with 101 tackles this season and has shown a lot of playmaking ability (9.5 TFLs and four forced fumblees).dddddddddddd He doesnt have great speed, but at 6-2 and 235 pounds, hes a really good tackler.DEC. 23Popeyes Bahamas BowlEastern Michigan vs. Old Dominion?(1 p.m., ESPN)Kiper:?Pat OConnor, DE, Eastern Michigan. With eight sacks and five forced fumbles this season, OConnor, a team captain, was one of the best edge rushers in the Mid-American Conference.Lockheed Martin Armed Forces BowlLouisiana Tech vs. No. 25?Navy?(4:30 p.m., ESPN)McShay: Trent Taylor, WR, Louisiana Tech.?At 5-8, 178, Taylor is likely just a slot receiver at the next level, but hes shown the ability to consistently get open. Taylor has 124 catches so far this season, 52 more than his next-best teammate. ' ' '