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By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire ServiceDistributed by The Sports ExchangeDARLINGTON, S.C. -- Tropical storm Hermine made sure Chris Bueschers path to the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup would be just a bit more difficult.In qualifying for the last five races, Buescher has advanced to the second round four times and to the third round once, posting an average starting position of 20.4.But at Darlington Racing this weekend, Buescher didnt have a chance to qualify, thanks to the storm that washed out all track activity on Friday.Accordingly, with the starting order set by owner points, Buescher will take the green flag from 31st place in Sunday nights Bojangles Southern 500 (6 p.m. ET on NBC) -- right beside David Ragan, the driver hes trying to beat for the 30th position in the regular-season standings.If Buescher is 30th or better after the Sept. 10 race at Richmond, he make the Chase. If hes 31st or worse in the driver standings, his Chase spot will go to someone else.With two races left before the cutoff, Buescher leads Ragan by seven points for the all-important 30th spot.On a track fraught with peril, starting that deep in the field is certain to raise Bueschers stress level.Definitely, Darlington being one of the tougher race tracks we go to, that makes us a little bit anxious to get out there and get rolling this weekend, Buescher said. Nature has not helped us by any means. Without qualifying right, its going to put us starting a lot further back than what weve been able to qualify the last several months, so thats a little bit of a bummer there.But, on the other hand, Darlington is my favorite race track we go to. I absolutely love that race track. I had a lot of fun there on the XFINITY side, and Ive gotten my fair share of stripes already, so maybe Im done with that and we can keep it clean this weekend.This will be the first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start at Darlington for the driver of the No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford, who is competing for Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors this season.In four XFINITY Series races, Buescher has an average finish of 17.0, with his best result of fifth coming in last years championship season.CALE YARBOROUGH HONORED IN DARLINGTON CEREMONYIn a special ceremony on pit road at Darlington Raceway on Saturday morning, NASCAR Hall of Famer Cale Yarborough was honored for his contributions to the sport.The garage area at the 1.366-mile track was named in Yarboroughs honor.Yarborough, the honorary pace car driver for Sunday nights Bojangles Southern 500, grew up in nearby Timmonsville and decided he wanted to be a race car driver the first time he saw an event at the Lady in Black.In fact, he sneaked into the garage that now bears his name to watch his first race at the track.I slipped under the fence when I came to see my first race, and now, here Ive got a garage named after me, so its great, Yarborough said. This is a great honor. Theres no place like Darlington to me, and to have a garage area named after you from now on is just great.Team Penske driver Joey Logano is five victories short of the five Southern 500s Yarborough won during his career, but Logano remembers his first encounter with the three-time Sprint Cup champion during a winners circle appearance in 2009.He took me around in a ride-along car, and I sat in the passenger seat and he came out with his old race suit on, open-face helmet, bubble goggles, and I got to sit in the passenger seat with Cale Yarborough driving around Darlington, Logano said. I thought, Man, this is the coolest thing.Obviously, I wasnt watching racing when he was racing -- I wasnt alive -- but re-watching races and reading a lot about the history of the sport and what hes meant to NASCAR racing, its neat that hes still so involved and he still cares about the sport.KEVIN HARVICK ON POLE AFTER QUALIFYING RAINOUTThe odds against Sundays Bojangles Southern 500 producing another first-time winner are relatively heavy.When all track activity was washed out on Friday, the starting field for the race was set according to owner points, and the top 10 starters in the field, from pole sitter Kevin Harvick through 10th-place Matt Kenseth, all have at least one NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory this season.Why is that significant? Because in the last 14 races at Darlington, 10 of the winners have come from the top 10 spots on the starting grid. So the odds say a driver who already has won this year will take the checkered flag on Sunday night.Brad Keselowski will line up next to Harvick, with Carl Edwards in third and fourth, respectively, behind the front-row starters. Joey Logano, Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, Martin Truex Jr., Jimmie Johnson and Kenseth complete the top 10.The last time Harvick started from the pole in Darlington, in April 2014, he picked up his only victory at the track.But that doesnt mean 11th-place starter Chase Elliott should abandon hope of notching his first career win.Back in 2004, Elliotts Hendrick Motorsports teammate, Jimmie Johnson, started 11th and ultimately took the checkered flag. In the 14-race stretch dating to Terry Labontes 2003 victory, the deepest in the field a winner has started is 23rd (Regan Smith in 2011).SHORT STROKESJimmie Johnson paced opening practice at Darlington with a lap at 176.025 mph, followed by Denny Hamlin (175.060 mph) and Sunoco rookie Ryan Blaney (174.711 mph). Ryan Newman, who currently is 15 points behind Jamie McMurray for the final Chase spot on points, was fifth fastest at 174.519 mph. McMurray was 26th on the speed chart. ... Newman, however, slipped to 25th fastest in final practice, while McMurray was two spots ahead of him in 23rd. Brad Keselowski was fastest in the session at 174.649 mph, followed by Kurt Busch (174.031 mph) and Johnson (174.019 mph). Kasey Kahne, whose only realistic path into the Chase is a victory in one of the next two races, was fourth on the list at 173.656 mph.Wholesale Jerseys Free Shipping . Peter Gammons, an analyst for Major League Baseballs network and website, drew the ire of hockey fans on Sunday when he criticized the two NHL teams on Twitter for their physical game the night before. Stitched NFL Jerseys . The veteran safety was a starter for the Bengals from 2008-2012. He totaled 41 tackles and three interceptions while starting all but four of the 13 games he played last season. http://www.cheapjerseysdiscount.com/ . Durant finished with 24 points and 13 rebounds, Jackson matched his career high with 23 points on 10-of-14 shooting and Lamb scored 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting, lifting the Thunder to a 94-88 win over San Antonio and snapping the Spurs 11-game winning streak. Cheap Throwback Jerseys . How great will be revealed in the next couple of days at the board of governors meeting in Pebble Beach, Calif. Discount Jerseys . Robinson finished with 17 points, all but two in the second half, and Lawson had 14 after halftime and finished with a game-high 11 assists as the Nuggets handed Dallas its first home loss in eight games this season. J.J. Hickson led Denver with 22, and Kenneth Faried added 10 points and 10 rebounds.FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- Ryan Fitzpatrick thinks hell be back under center Sunday.The New York Jets quarterback just needs his sprained left knee to heal in a hurry.Im definitely optimistic that Ill be able to go out there and play, he said Wednesday. And I am going to do everything I can from now until then to make sure that happens.Fitzpatrick was injured Sunday at Miami in the third quarter of New Yorks 27-23 loss , but returned to finish the game while wearing a brace on the knee. He said Wednesday that he would again wear a brace on Sunday against Los Angeles if he plays.I mean, its a knee sprain, Fitzpatrick said. Its not something that Im happy is there or feels great. But I think Ill be OK.He was limited at practice Wednesday, and coach Todd Bowles said the team will monitor him throughout the week.He threw the ball around, Bowles said. He didnt run around as much, so we have to get a better gauge. Hes still getting treatment, but hes getting better. Just have to see how much he can tolerate.Bryce Petty, who went 2 of 2 for 19 yards in relief of Fitzpatrick, would get his first NFL start if the veteran cant play. Petty was a fourth-round draft pick last year out of Baylor who hurt his right shoulder in the preseason and was unavailable early in the regular season.He was the No. 3 quarterback behind both Fitzpatrick and Geno Smith, but has moved up to the backup role after Smiths season-ending knee injury two weeks ago.I think hes capable of starting, Bowles said of Petty. Its just a matter of Ryan is ahead of him right now. As Bryce gets more reps, hell get comforrtable with them.dddddddddddd. Bryce has things he can do in games if we have to play him or if he has to start that Im very comfortable with.Petty said he thinks about the past summer, when he was on the bubble to make the Jets roster, and cherishes the opportunity he has now -- whether it remains as the backup or he has to make an emergency start. He credits Fitzpatrick with helping him prepare and make marked improvements from his rookie season to now.How much time you got? Petty said when asked about Fitzpatricks influence. Ryans been great. Since the moment I stepped in here, hes been the big brother I never wanted or had. No, Ive learned a lot about the game of football from him and constantly being in the film room with him and at practice. Hes always open to questions and willing to put the time in with me, which is huge.Game notesC Nick Mangold (ankle), DE Muhammad Wilkerson (ankle), LB Bruce Carter (knee), CB Nick Marshall (illness), LB Darron Lee (ankle), CB Marcus Williams (ankle), LB Josh Martin (concussion) and TE Kellen Davis (elbow) all did not practice. Mangold has missed two games and remains in a walking boot. ... OTs Brandon Shell and Breno Giacomini were both limited with shoulder ailments, while CB Buster Skrine and RB Matt Forte were also limited with knee issues -- although Forte has been regularly getting Wednesdays off as rest days.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '