ility, of course, as has a diligent approach to fitness, training and recovery.Theres days I feel like a kid, and theres days I feel like Zim. It comes and goes, but

HOMESTEAD, Fla. Gary Gregor Jersey . -- By Kyle Buschs standards, it has been a pretty quiet year.Sure, he got fined for blowing off media commitments after a disappointing Xfinity Series finish at Fontana, and he also incurred the wrath of NASCAR for destroying the rear fenders of his Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota with an over-the-top burnout after winning the spring Sprint Cup Series race at Kansas Speedway.But for the most part, Busch has been a model of decorum throughout 2016. He didnt (publicly) pitch a fuss when his JGR teammate Carl Edwards moved him to steal a Cup win at Richmond, and he was contrite after accidentally knocking teammate Matt Kenseth out of the NASCAR Chase playoffs last weekend at Phoenix.The most controversy he has generated has come from his continued desire to compete in NASCARs lower ranks, where he won 10 times in 16 Xfinity Series starts while also taking two of the three Camping World Truck Series races he ran.Even though Busch hasnt often make waves in the Cup series, he put together a rock-solid regular season with four race wins and a dozen top-5s. Now hes right back where he was a year ago: among the four drivers competing for the Sprint Cup championship in the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.Last November, Busch defeated Kevin Harvick in a straight fight at Homestead to win his first Cup series championship, and he believes he is poised to repeat that result on Sunday evening even though he hasnt recently tested at the title-deciding venue.I went there last year without testing and we did pretty well, so its all about the preparation and the things that our team does behind the scenes, as well as just executing on race day, Busch said.Its nice to be able to look back on what you did, and being able to do it before, you can kind of try to follow the same format of what happened, he added. But the three other guys are different and the race cars are different this year, and the tracks going to be one more year worn out than it was last year. Out of all the variables, it doesnt seem like there are that many constants.Adam Stevens, crew chief for the No. 18 Toyota, is confident about the teams chances.Im excited to go back down there, Stevens said. I feel like we really had a great weekend down there last year. Theres no reason why we cant go do that again.Buschs formula for making it to the championship final is similar to the one he used last year. He hasnt won a race since taking his second consecutive Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis in late July, but he has snatched six top-5 finishes in the Chase. His average Chase finish is 7.3 despite intentionally running at the back to wind up 30th at Talladega.By finishing in the top 10 in eight of the nine Chase races, capped by that hectic run to second place at Phoenix, Busch has positioned himself to score rare back-to-back Cup series crowns.Aside from Johnsons run of five consecutive titles from 2006 to 2010, the only other drivers in the past 30 years to claim back-to-back Cup trophies are Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt and Darrell Waltrip.We havent showed our strength here in a few weeks, but weve showed consistency, Busch said after the race at Phoenix. We always talk about in this sport how top-10s lead to top-5s and top-5s lead to wins. Eventually were going to keep finishing in the top five and we just had three top-5s in a row.After racing Gordon for the championship in 2015, Busch downplayed the notion that beating six-time titlist Jimmie Johnson for this years honor would be any more meaningful.Edwards and Joey Logano are the other two championship finalists.I dont think Jimmie being in the final four makes it any more significant than Carl or Joey, Busch said. I think theyre all really good. Jimmie has been a six-time champion, but he hasnt done it in this format.You might also look at how guys have run in the past at Homestead, and it seems like Carl is probably one of the best on that, Busch continued. Joey has finished real well there the last few years also. This group is certainly way high up there as far as being challenging to race, and thats why I feel like it could honestly be any guys race.Busch is also content with Homestead as the venue for the championship finale. The 1.5-mile oval is a similar length to other intermediate ovals, but with a markedly different symmetrical layout.I think Homestead is one of the better tracks for us to have the last race at, he said. Youd much rather go there to a place where its kind of wide, where tires fall off and where you can race people from the bottom of the track all the way to the top of the track versus going to a place like Phoenix or Loudon, where its really hard to pass and hard to get the guy in front of you, with not too many racing grooves.With Gordon retired (again) and Tony Stewart calling it quits as a driver after Sundays race, Johnson could be NASCARs only multiple Cup champion in the field next year.Unless Busch repeats as champion, that is. At 31, in the prime of his career, he knows its important for the sport to have legacy stars for future generations to measure up to. And he knows that winning consecutive Cup titles would guarantee that kind of long-term status.You look at these younger-generation drivers that come in and youve got to stack yourself up against somebody, Busch said. I got to stack myself up against Jeff Gordon, against guys late in their career like Dale Jarrett, and Ive raced against guys like Tony Stewart and Jimmie -- a lot of guys who have been champion.Although I never raced against the likes of Richard Petty or David Pearson or guys that were champions before my time, you certainly get to understand how good they were in their day and how important they are to the sport even though you never got a chance to race them yourself. Mike Bantom Jersey . -- Its been a long road back for Sean Bergenheim. Aron Baynes Jersey .S District Court against Major League Baseball, the Office of the Commissioner and his own union, the MLBPA. https://www.cheapsunsonline.com/ . The Nashville Predators were glad their captain was still on their side. Weber had a goal and two assists, and Roman Josi scored the shootout winner to lift the Predators to a 4-3 win over the Flyers on Thursday night. EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. -- Terence Newman was on the inactive list at Detroit last week for the first time in two seasons with Minnesota.Newman had a neck injury that didnt have enough time to heal with only three days between games.With Dallas due in on Thursday, seeing Newman on the sideline again would sure be a surprise.The age-defying 38-year-old cornerback was listed as a full participant in practice on Tuesday, and the Vikings could use all hands on deck against the potent offense the league-leading Cowboys (10-1) will bring.Then theres that natural pride factor of wanting to perform well against his original team with several close friends still donning the silver helmets with the famous navy blue star. Newman, who still keeps a home in the Dallas area, played for the Cowboys for nine seasons through 2011.We shed a lot of blood, sweat and tears together, said Newman, who was drafted in the first round out of Kansas State in 2003. I love those guys.Barry Church, Sean Lee and Orlando Scandrick are still around on the defense from Newmans last team with Dallas.Dan Bailey, Dez Bryant, Doug Free, Tony Romo, Tyron Smith and Jason Witten are familiar faces to him on the other side of the ball, with the same unfulfilled goal.I dont play for money. I want a Super Bowl, Newman said. For me, thats kind of the hot girl that you see, you try to talk to, and she just doesnt really respond and she doesnt really want to have anything to do with you at this point. Im still chasing her.The oldest cornerback in the NFL by almost two years , Newman has been a stalwart in the secondary for coach Mike Zimmer, his defensive coordinator with Cincinnati in 2012-13 and with Dallas from 2003-06.Newmans savviness on the field, understanding of Zimmers scheme and well-honed technique have been more than enough to make up for any lost agility and speed needed to cover wide receivers 15 years younger than him.I call him old man to his face, but I call him kid to everyone else, Zimmer said.With Newman on one side, standout Xavier Rhodes on the other and veteran Captain Munnerlyn playing the slot in the nickel package, the Vikings have been able to bring 2015 first-round draft pick Trae Wayness along slowly and limited the exposure of 2016 second-round draft pick Mackensie Alexander. Amare Stoudemire Jersey. Waynes has taken more and more of Newmans playing time as hes improved, but in the 16-13 loss to the Lions last week the leader of the group, Newman, was missed.Munnerlyn described him as an extra coach on the field . Asked what age hed think his teammate was without knowing while simply watching him play, Munnerlyn estimated mid-20s. An exaggeration, sure, but the Vikings wouldnt have re-signed him if he were a liability.He still can run, man, and hes a very smart football player, Munnerlyn said. But by him being so smart, I know hes old. Hes seen a lot of football.Newman, whos second among active players with 41 interceptions behind DeAngelo Hall, has often cited red wine as his key to longevity. Good genes have helped with durability, of course, as has a diligent approach to fitness, training and recovery.Theres days I feel like a kid, and theres days I feel like Zim. It comes and goes, but most of the time I do feel pretty good walking in here and going to practice. I love going to meetings and looking and film and listening to him talk, listening to our coaches talk, Newman said, adding:Being older, I get to sit in a room with a bunch of young guys and get what music is hip these days and the hot spots and listen to some of their stories. Its still fun for me, very much so.As long as theres still some tread on those tires, Newman said this week, hell keep trying to play.Im not as quick as I used to be, but where I lack in just pure speed and quickness I kind of try and make up for the mental part of it, Newman said, adding:There comes a point in everybodys career where youre not going to have what you had when you came in, and the only way to pick up slack is to really become a student of the game.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL---Follow Dave Campbell on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/DaveCampbellAP---AP Sports Writer Schuyler Dixon in Frisco, Texas, contributed to this report. ' ' '