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RICHMOND, Va. -- Jamie McMurray knows the kind of pressure NASCAR drivers are under at Richmond International Raceway in the cutoff race to qualify for the Chase for the Sprint Cup.He has experienced it from all sides.McMurray, who will make his 500th career Sprint Cup Series start Saturday night in the Federated Auto Parts 400, is on the brink of qualifying for the Chase for the second year in a row.He and fellow Chevrolet driver Ryan Newman are battling for the 16th and final entry into the 2016 Chase, assuming theres not a new winner, with McMurray holding a relatively comfortable 22-point advantage.Coming out of Sunday nights Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway, the gap was just seven points, but Newman was penalized 15 points by NASCAR on Wednesday because his car failed the postrace laser inspection.Thanks to the penalty, McMurray can breathe a little easier. But he knows he cant afford to cruise and collect.Im not going to do anything different, he said between practice sessions Friday at RIR. Im just going to race the way we have all year long. I feel like my style of racing is somewhat conservative anyway to get the best finish out of it you can. Thats whats put us in this position.Weve got a really good car, and thats going to make it easier, he added. The car is better than normal in practice, and this has been a pretty good track for me. We could have a first-time winner, but I dont expect me to outrun [Newman] by 20 positions or vice versa.We just need a normal race, maybe try to give some guys a little extra room and have a solid night.McMurrays position on the bubble is not as comfortable as it was a year ago, when he clinched a Chase berth by simply taking the start at Richmond.But hes happy to be on the positive side of the points ledger, where he can afford to be defensive rather than forced into uncharacteristic aggression.And after losing what looked like a certain Chase berth back in 2005 when his car dropped a valve spring with 30 laps to go, McMurray also knows that the drama about who makes it into the NASCAR playoffs and who misses out wont be determined until the checkered flag flies.Until youre locked in, it doesnt matter, he said. In 2005, I was in, and then I wasnt because the motor stopped running. So Im not going to race any differently until its over.Making the Chase is a goal you set out every year, he added. Everybody wants to win a race, you want to win a pole and you want to be in the Chase. Last year I didnt really get what a big deal it is, but now I really want to be a part of it again.Among winless drivers, Chase Elliott and Austin Dillon are in slightly better shape pointswise than McMurray. Elliot can lock in by finishing 17th, while an eighth-place run for Dillon would do the job regardless of all other scenarios.Dillon and Cup Series rookie Elliott are looking to make the Chase for the first time.Weve done a good job putting ourselves in position, said Dillon, who is Newmans teammate at Richard Childress Racing. I wish we were locked in by now, but I feel like we have a car capable of running pretty well here and were going about it like a regular race weekend. If we have a good strong finish, [the Chase] will take care of itself.I think Ive been nervous for the last two or three weeks now, he continued. Being in the Chase is a big deal. Its one of our main goals. Hopefully we can pull out a strong result Saturday night and maybe even contend for a win.Although the main focus is on the fight for 16th in the points, the subplot is Chris Bueschers battle to remain Chase eligible by staying in the top 30.Buescher took a fog-aided victory at Pocono Raceway in the No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford and is 11 points ahead of David Ragan on the Chases other cutoff line.I think we pretty much know what we have to do, Buescher said. Were going to control what we can control and do our best to have a clean race and stay out of trouble. This is not one of my better tracks, but we made progress in practice and are definitely better than we were here in the spring.Theres a lot of anticipation leading into this weekend, but Im pretty confident were in a good spot right now.For Newman, Kasey Kahne and the rest of the field, even though they can still sneak in on points, winning Saturday nights race is really their only realistic shot. Kahne finished a season-high fourth in the spring race at Richmond, but repeating that result wont be enough for him to crack the top 16 without a lot of help from the likes of McMurray and Buescher.Newman was already unhappy that he lost several places in the pits Sunday night at Darlington [he finished eighth but thought he could have been third], and the subsequent 15-point penalty made his task even tougher.He believes the speed he showed at Darlington should translate to the smaller Richmond oval.It gives us hope going into Richmond, Newman stated. We go there like we always do, to win. Ive been in this situation before. Well go and do everything we can to win and make the transfer.Even drivers who have already qualified for the Chase admitted they are following the intrigue over the cutoff for 16th with interest.For some guys, this is their whole season, said Carl Edwards of Joe Gibbs Racing. This is everything theyve worked for, so Ill definitely be conscious of that. You dont want to mess up anybodys season.By the end of the race, it will be kind of fun to watch that. Nacho Monreal Jersey . The Court of Arbitration for Sport ruling "puts an end to my dreams of being a top player," the 27-year-old Troicki said in a statement. 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Some of the sports stories The Associated Press is covering Thursday. A full Sports Digest will be sent by about 3 p.m. All times EDT:- WASHINGTON -- Max Scherzer (20-8) starts for the Washington Nationals against the Dodgers in a win-or-go-home Game 5 to decide their NL Division Series. Los Angeles goes with Rich Hill. Game starts 8:08 p.m.- CLEVELAND -- The Toronto Blue Jays and Cleveland Indians await Friday nights start of the ALCS. They met seven times during the season, games marked by all sorts of drama.- CHICAGO -- Longtime Cubs fans understand the fear of failure. But their young fans know little of the torment of billy goat curses and botched plays. They are simply confident a World Series title is within reach.- PITTSBURGH -- The Penguins will raise their fourth Stanley Cup banner before their season opener against the Washington Capitals. Pittsburgh star Sidney Crosby is out indefinitely with a concussion. Game starts 8 p.m.- BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The Canadiens and Sabres meet in a season opener in which two key players are sidelined. Montreal goaltender Carey Price has the flu; Buffalo center Jack Eichel has a sprained ankle.- SAN DIEGO -- With Gary Kubiak ordered to stay home because of his migraine condition, Joe DeCamillis will coach the Denver Broncos (4-1) against Philip Rivers and the San Diego Chargers (1-4). Game starts 8:25 p.m.- CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The Panthers hope Cam Newton will practice again Thursday and be ready for Sundays game against New Orleans after missing last weeks game with a concussion.- HOUSTON -- Jadeveon Clowney, the top pick in the 2014 draft, has shaken offf two years of injuries to become one of the Houston Texans most consistent players this season.dddddddddddd NAPA, Calif. -- Phil Mickelson plays a domestic event in the fall for the first time in nearly a decade when a new PGA Tour season begins at the Safeway Open. Tiger Woods withdrew Monday, saying his game was vulnerable.- LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Louisville coach Bobby Petrino isnt concerned about possible rust during a bye week. His No. 7 Cardinals play a home game Friday night against Duke.- Only two Big Ten players rank among the top 25 rushers in the nation, yet five teams from the conference are running for more than 200 yards a game and the leagues rushing average is up significantly.- MANCHESTER, England -- Tyson Furys woes since becoming heavyweight champion escalate when the British fighter relinquishes his titles, and his license is suspended over drug use and medical issues.- LOS ANGELES -- The Sparks return to Los Angeles tied 1-1 with the Minnesota Lynx in the WNBA Finals. But theyll need a better effort from Candace Parker on Friday in Game 3 of the best-of-five series.- LAWRENCE, Kan. -- With its core back from last years Big 12 title team and the arrival of potential No. 1 draft pick Josh Jackson, Kansas has its eye on its first national basketball title since 2008.- LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Kentucky awaits a new basketball season and is overflowing with frontline talent and an outstanding freshman class highlighted by Bam Adebayo and Sacha Killeya-Jones. ' ' '