Daytona Beach, FL (SportsNetwork. [url=http://www.penguinsauthenticofficial.com/matt-murray-jersey/]Matt Murray Jersey[/url] .com) -- NASCAR announced a radical change to its qualifying format for the Sprint Cup, Nationwide and Camping World Truck Series on Wednesday, making it similar to knockout qua

Daytona Beach, FL (SportsNetwork. Matt Murray Jersey .com) -- NASCAR announced a radical change to its qualifying format for the Sprint Cup, Nationwide and Camping World Truck Series on Wednesday, making it similar to knockout qualifying used for Formula One and IndyCar Series road/street course races. At NASCAR racetracks measuring 1.25 miles or longer in length, qualifying will consist of three rounds. Tracks measuring less than 1.25 miles will feature just two segments. NASCAR noted its revised qualifying format will not be used for the Daytona 500 (Feb. 23) and the Truck Series race at Eldora Speedway (July 23), which is the only national touring series event contested on a dirt track. It also wont be used for the Sprint Cup non-point races -- the Feb. 15 Sprint Unlimited at Daytona International Speedway and the May 17 NASCAR Sprint All- Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. "Were looking forward to the new qualifying format for all three of our national series this year," NASCAR vice president of competition Robin Pemberton said during a teleconference. "The new format is something that weve been looking at for quite some time. The goal is providing a more fan- friendly and exciting qualifying session for each race event across the board, with the exception of the Daytona 500 and Eldora, which are unique in their own right. "NASCAR fans will be treated to highly competitive elimination-based qualifying segments that will be more engaging to the fans in the stands and those watching on television or online." For those races on tracks 1.25 miles or greater, the first qualifying elimination round will be 25 minutes in duration and includes all cars/trucks. The 24 entries that post the fastest single lap from the opening segment will advance to the second round. The remaining cars/trucks will be sorted from their times in descending order posted during the first segment. The 12 cars/trucks that recorded the quickest single lap during the second round, which is 10 minutes in length, will then advance to the third and final segment, which lasts five minutes. Positions 13 through 24 will be based on lap times during the second round. Positions 1 through 12 will be determined during the final round, with the driver posting the fastest lap winning the pole position. There will be a five-minute break between each of the three qualifying rounds. For those tracks shorter than 1.25 miles, the opening segment in qualifying will be 30 minutes in duration and includes all entries. The 12 cars/trucks that recorded the fastest single lap time will advance to the second segment. The remaining field will be determined by lap times in descending order during the first round. Positions 1 through 12 will then be decided in the final segment, which is 10 minutes in length. "We believe the timing is right for this new style of qualifying, and for our drivers and teams, we believe that it will create even better competition leading into the event," Pemberton said. NASCARs new format is scheduled to be used for the first time on Feb. 21 when the Nationwide and Truck Series have qualifying for their season-openers at Daytona. Sprint Cup will utilize the format beginning with the March 2 race at Phoenix International Raceway. Joe Mullen Jersey .Gasol had 16 points and 13 rebounds, and the Bulls beat the winless Orlando Magic 98-90 on Tuesday night.Jimmy Butler led the Bulls with 21 points and Taj Gibson added 16 for Chicago, which finally pulled away in the final minutes of a game that was tied after three quarters. Daniel Sprong Jersey . Dirk Nowitzki scored 25 points, Shawn Marion had 22 and the Mavericks beat undermanned Philadelphia 124-112 Friday night, handing the 76ers their 10th straight loss. http://www.penguinsauthenticofficial.com/michel-briere-jersey/ . -- Lara Gut of Switzerland regained the overall World Cup lead with Sundays super-G win in Lake Louise, Alta.MONTREAL -- Michael Putnam and Tim Petrovic mastered the afternoon winds to shoot six-under-par 64s and take a share of the first-round lead at the US$5.7 million RBC Canadian Open on Thursday. But the surprise of the day was big-hitting amateur Taylor Pendrith of Richmond Hill, Ont., who shot five-under 65 for a share of third place with Kyle Stanley. Putnam and Petrovic played bogey-free golf at the 7,153-yard par-70 Blue Course at Royal Montreal on a near perfect day for scoring, with sunny weather and soft greens from heavy rains the previous day. A gust wind came in for the those with afternoon starts, but it didnt stop Putnam or Petrovic from shooting the low scores of the day, which set the course record for an opening round. "It was tough ball-striking, but somehow I was able to keep it in the fairway and take advantage of the soft greens to hit a couple of shots close and make a couple of five-to-ten-foot putts," said Putnam, who has been playing his best golf of the season of late with top-35 finishes in his last three outings. The 47-year-old Petrovic didnt know he would play until he got a call on Tuesday saying he was in as the seventh alternate. The former PGA Tour regular, playing only his eighth Tour event this season, didnt even have his name on the program. There was no rust in his game, however. "I didnt set my expectations high because I got in late, so this was kind of my practice round," said Petrovic. "I walked the back nine (Wednesday). "It wasnt that I played conservative. I was just trying to hit fairways and greens, trying to see the golf course and see if I could make a few putts. I drove the ball pretty good overall." There were 11 players tied at 4-under 66, including Nick Watney and Charl Schwartzel, and another 16 at 3-under 67, including David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., and two-time Canadian Open champion Jim Furyk. Another dozen were at 2-under 68 and there were 23 at 1-under 69, including top-ranked Canadian Graham DeLaet of Weyburn, Sask., and defending champion Brandt Snedeker. Another sunny day is forecast for the second round on Friday, with a possibility of wet weather on the weekend. The 23-year-old Pendrith, Canadas top amateur, had a dream day in his first round of his first Canadian Open. He recently graduated from Kent State University and hopes to play in the world amateur championships this summer before likely turning pro in the fall. Although its early, hes one stroke off the lead of a tournament no Canadian has won since Pat Fletcher in 1954. "I never expected that," said Pendrith. "I was playing good golf coming in here, so I just played golf. "Five-under is pretty nice. Everybody has some nerves. If you didnt have nerves on the first tee something would be wrong with you. Josh Archibald Jersey. But after I played the first hole, I felt calm and felt I should be here." He played in the last threesome to tee off in the afternoon, when the worst of the wind was up, but used his long drives to cut through the tree-lined fairways and get close to the greens. He had seven birdies, including one on a putt that trickled in on the 18th, and two bogeys. "The front nine suits my game a lot," he said. "I can shoot driver nearly every hole. "I had four birdies on the front nine, all with wedges." Pendrith is 18th in world amateur rankings, tops among Canadians. He and fellow national team members Adam Svensson of Surrey, B.C., who shot even-par 70, and Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., who was at 4-over 74, were given entries into the Open. Stanleys 5-under was the best among the early tee times. "I love this golf course," the Gig Harbor, Wash., native said. "Its similar to the one I grew up with in Washington, so I felt pretty comfortable. "I hit the ball well on my first nine today. I was able to make a few of the long range putts that got the round going for me." The soft greens made for ideal scoring conditions, but Stanley said the course is still a challenge. "That front nine is pretty difficult," he said. "Theres a couple of mid-irons into the par-3s and a 500-yard par-4 (the fourth), so its a kind of sneaky-demanding course." Stanley is best known for posting his only PGA Tour win a week after a memorable collapse. In 2012, he blew a six-shot lead in the final round of the Farmers Insurance Open and lost in a playoff to Snedeker, then bounced back with a victory at the Phoenix Open. This season has been trying for the 26-year-old. He sits 164th in FedEx Cup standings with only one top-25 finish, which was in October. He said it was premature to think about turning the season around after one good round. "Theres a ton of golf left," he said. "Its nice to get a round like this because it shows Im working on the right things." Hearn had a great round going until he bogeyed the 14th and 15th on his back nine. He recovered with a birdie at the 16th. "Any day you come off the course and shoot 3-under and feel you left a few out there, you feel its a good day," said Hearn. "Im not overly disappointed with the way I played. "I hit the ball great from tee to green. If I can continue to do that for the rest of the week I know Im going to play well." It was a rough opening round for some. Both Stephen Ames of Calgary and one of the tournament favourites, Dustin Johnson, shot 4-over 74. John Daly had 6-over 76, Scott McCarron turned in a 78 and Erik Compton shot 79. Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Jerseys From China Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys ' ' '