Clan-Members » from the trip to Columbus was a chance to hone their

AVONDALE, Ariz. -- Maybe its just that time of year, but it seems like some people already want to declare a winner in a contest that hasnt actually yet happened.Kevin Harvicks track record at Phoenix International Raceway is so strong that a sizable number of prognosticators have already handed victory in the Can-Am 500 to the driver of the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet.Its true that Harvick has proven almost unbeatable at PIR since the track was re-profiled and repaved. He has won six of his past eight Sprint Cup Series starts at the Desert Mile and probably would have added another in the fall 2015 race if rain hadnt handed the victory to Dale Earnhardt Jr.Harvick pretty much needs to win again at Phoenix on Sunday because hes 16 points out of the all-important fourth place in the Chase standings that will determine the drivers who will join Carl Edwards and Jimmie Johnson in the championship shootout one week from now at Homestead-Miami Speedway.Hes confident he can triumph again, but his challengers believe the law of averages is about to put another driver in Victory Lane -- and on to Homestead with one of the two remaining spots being contested among six drivers.There are several storylines to follow when the green flag drops for Sundays 312-lap race. Heres what to watch for:1. Harvick: Theres no question, Harvick has been The Show at Phoenix dating back to his time at Richard Childress Racing.Hes won from the pole, and hes won from the 10th row. Hes led 43 percent of the laps run since 2012. More importantly, hes been able to run up front when needed in the November Chase cutoff race.Harvick believes his team thrives in the pressure of a must-win situation. And thats why he expects to be in the mix again on Sunday. Hell start the race from the outside of Row 3.Anything can happen, and we just have to control the things that we can control and try and put ourselves in the position we usually do and see where it all falls, he said Friday after qualifying. That is what makes all this here exciting. What I like about it is the sense of the unknown, the competition, the effort, and the thought and everything that goes into it. That is intriguing for me.From a team standpoint, to see where everybody is at and how they approach it is fun to me, he added. I like to see people performing and working at that level. Because once they do it, you can hold them to it.2. Alex Bowman: On Friday, Harvick said his toughest competitor at Phoenix during his streak has been Dale Earnhardt Jr. Sure enough, the No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet will start Sundays race from pole position.Of course, it wont be Earnhardt behind the wheel. It wont even be superstar substitute driver Jeff Gordon, who ran his last race at Martinsville.Instead, its Hendrick development driver Alex Bowman, who earned his first career pole to at least temporarily steal the limelight from the battle for the Chase.The 23-year-old has a couple years of Cup Series experience, but his full-time job this year was running simulator programs for the Hendrick organization. When Earnhardt was forced to miss the last portion of the season with concussion aftereffects, Bowman was tabbed to split time with Gordon in the No. 88.Hes shown plenty of speed, qualifying in the top six four times, including on the front row at Charlotte. But his results (a pair of top-10s with a best of seventh place at Kansas from eight starts) are not indicative of how well he has often run.He has really helped our team get better on the qualifying front as well as in the racing also, said Earnhardt, who is on hand in Phoenix. Alex has really helped our program. Jeff helped it a lot, but Alex has been a great treat for the guys to work with, and obviously he is a great driver.Though Bowmans stock has risen since he began wheeling the No. 88 on a regular basis, he still doesnt have a full-time ride for 2017. He said Friday he expects to be back in the Hendrick simulator.Im very thankful to get this opportunity, obviously not under the circumstances that anyone would want, Bowman said. But Im trying to make the most of it and having a lot of fun.We really werent that great in qualifying trim during practice, he continued. Im not sure where this came from, but Ill take it and hopefully we can stay up front on Sunday.3. The Gibbs battle: One Joe Gibbs Racing driver (Carl Edwards) is already locked into the Chase final four at Homestead. Three others (Kyle Busch, Matt Kenseth and Denny Hamlin) are separated by two points, and at most, two of them will join Edwards in the championship battle next week in Florida.Bottom line is at least one of the Gibbs drivers is going to leave Phoenix unhappy. And theyre all convinced that they will be racing each other for those coveted transfer spots.Closely.Obviously all of us want to be in there, so somebody is going to be disappointed when they leave here, observed Kenseth, who currently sits one point below Busch for the critical fourth place in the standings. All three of us could be disappointed when we leave here.You never know whats going to happen Sunday. Out of the eight [remaining Chase-eligible drivers], the four that dont make it are going to be disappointed whether theyre on the same team or not.Hamlin, who drew the wrath of his teammates with some defensive driving down the stretch at Martinsville, tried to downplay any rivalry between the Gibbs drivers.I dont think its that big of a deal as it sometimes seems, he said. Its going to be exciting, and were in for a very, very competitive race where I think the guys that are battling for points, if were not battling for the win, were all going to be very, very close to each other all day long.I think its going to go down to the last lap.4. The outsiders: Obviously the main focus on Sunday will be on setting the final four. Winning the race is the clear-cut way for a driver to advance, but if a non-Chase eligible driver is in position to win, it means both of the two remaining transfers will be decided on points.?After qualifying, Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott put themselves in good position. Larson qualified his Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet on the outside of the front row, while Elliott will pursue his first Cup Series race win from third on the grid.Larson broke through to earn his first win earlier this year at Michigan, and he is ready to add a short-track victory to his resume.I constantly try to work at it when we come to short tracks, he said. I feel like Ive gotten better but have work to do.This is as far forward as Ive ever started here, and it would be nice to get to the lead at the beginning, lead some laps, take care of my stuff and maintain track position, he added. Its a pretty quick race so you cant make too many mistakes. You have to make the right pit calls, and track position is always important here.5. Reliability: Anyone who watched the Camping World Truck Series race from Phoenix on Friday night knows that a seemingly sure win or solid finish can go up in smoke in an instant.William Byron dominated the 150-lap truck race, but his Toyota suffered a devastating engine failure with just 13 laps remaining. And although car and engine reliability is much better than it was years ago, glitches can still happen at the most inopportune time. Remember how the failure of a $5 axle seal ended Johnsons championship hopes last year at Dover?And dont forget fuel strategy. Three of the past eight Phoenix races have gone to overtime, and those few extra laps could be the difference between coasting into Homestead or being left high and dry.Like Hamlin said, this is going to go down to the last lap.Wholesale NCAA Jerseys . For the Wild it was their first win of the season and they now have a record of 1-1-2 while the Jets fall to 2-2. Jets start a six game home stand Friday with another divisional game, home to the Dallas Stars. Cheap College Jerseys . -- Its been a long road back for Sean Bergenheim. http://www.cheapcollegejerseys.net/ . -- Peyton Manning will have all of his wide receivers available for the first time in a month when the Denver Broncos begin their playoff run Jan. Authentic College Football Jerseys . He just needed to be his best twisting, turning acrobatic self. "I didnt need to be anybody else, I just needed to be myself and be aggressive," said Burks, who scored a career-high 34 points to spark the Utah Jazz to a 118-103 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Monday night. Discount NCAA Jerseys . PETERSBURG, Fla.COLUMBUS, Ohio -- JaeSean Tate scored 21 points and pulled down 10 rebounds as Ohio State overcame cold shooting and some ugly play to beat North Carolina Central 69-63 Monday night.Ohio State (2-0) struggled for much of the game and let the Eagles hang around. The Buckeyes shot just 46.4 percent from the floor and were lucky to get away with the victory over the less-talented Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference team.We just didnt come out ready to play today, Tate said.Fortunately for the Buckeyes, North Carolina Central (0-2) was sloppier, committing 20 turnovers and losing two players to fouls, including point guard Dajuan Graf.Patrick Cole carried the load for the NCCU with 26 points. Ron Trapps added 12 points and a team-high seven rebounds.Freshman center Micah Potter added 11 points on 3-for-4 shooting from the 3-point line for the Buckeyes, and Keita Bates-Diop had nine.I didnt like a whole lot of what I saw tonight, Ohio State coach Thad Matta said.Ohio State led 31-29 after a slow start by both teams in the first half. The Buckeyes had a 12-0 run and led by as much as 21-11 with 9:17 left in the first, but allowed North Carolina Central to slowly climb back. The Eagles briefly had a lead until Tate hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to end the half. They cut the lead to five with 40 seconds left.Hats off to Ohio State. They made some significant plays at significant time, NCCU coach LeVelle Moton said. I thought we did enough to win the basketball game.North Carolina Central led 32-31 with 18:46 to go in the game, but the Buckeyes slowly pulled away.ddddddddddddWeve got Providence next, and if we come out like that its not going to be pretty, Tate said . We know from last year that these early games count. We cant just be lackadaisical. We have to come out there and be the first team to punch the other in the mouth.Ohio State starting forward Marc Loving sat much of the first half after picking up two fouls in the first 1:15 of the game. He finished with three points.BIG PICTURENorth Carolina Central: If theres such thing as a moral victory, the Eagles got one by staying with the Buckeyes for most of the game. In the end, the best the Eagles got from the trip to Columbus was a chance to hone their game against a more-talented team. They nearly pulled off the upset.Ohio State: The Buckeyes were put on notice that this years version still needs a lot of work. Fortunately there are more tune-up games before conference play begins after Christmas.QUOTABLEWe werent physically and mentally very tough, Matta said. Obviously, we have to get that corrected.LYLE STRUGGLINGStarting point guard JaQuan Lyle sat most the second half Monday in favor of C.J. Jackson. He finished with five points. Lyle also sat most of the second half of last weeks win over Navy.UP NEXTNorth Carolina Central plays Wednesday at Western Carolina.Ohio State stays home to play Providence Thursday night. ' ' '