even though he hadnt practised much because of an undisclosed leg injury. De

CONCORD, N.C. -- So many drivers would have loved to have had?Jimmie Johnsons problems this summer.A losing streak? Didnt he win two races earlier in the year? Doesnt he have 77 for his Sprint Cup career? Oh, and there are those six Sprint Cup championship trophies. So what is there to complain about?But Johnson, when asked about having a win fall out of his grasp a week ago at Dover thanks to a pit road penalty, didnt hesitate to react to the fact that his career-long winless streak had stretched to 24 races.Its been a long summer, theres no doubt, Johnson said after Dover. Leading laps [in recent weeks] certainly helps and takes the sting off of the long summer, but Id really like to get to Victory Lane soon.Soon ended up being seven days, as Johnson captured the Bank of America 500, a race rescheduled thanks to Hurricane Matthew from Saturday night to a Johnson-favorable day race Sunday at Charlotte Motor Speedway.Johnsons victory was a relief to not only himself but the entire Hendrick organization. No Hendrick driver had won a race since Johnson won his second of the season March 20 at Auto Club Speedway in California in the fifth race of 2016. Even for a driver with six big trophies and millions in winnings, the losing stunk.He could have looked at his six Cup trophies and relish in the years when he dominated, the years when he was the driver to beat, instead of the quintet of Toyotas from Joe Gibbs Racing and Furniture Row Racing. Instead, he grew quiet, as he often does when frustrated, and the last win seemed like an eternity ago.The past is the past, Johnson said. You know, Ive always raced for the experience Ive had in the car. It hasnt been about stats or the previous trophies that Ive won or whats really ahead of me.Theres an experience that I have in the car that I chase and I love: the community thats created on a race team, the bond and friendship that you have.In the first 21 races after that California win, Johnson had led just 95 laps, posted a meager seven top-10 finishes and had an average finish of 17.4. In the past three events, he has led 363 laps -- including 155 in Sundays victory.In some ways, it would seem silly to fret over that slump. He had made NASCARs version of the playoffs. He had two wins this year. Only eight drivers can say they have had that many.Its easy to get down and out, Johnson said. Youre only as good as your last race, and this summer was really hard on us.Its not like his Hendrick Motorsports teammates were winning. Chase Elliott came close a couple of times.?Kasey Kahne was completely out to lunch until rattling off five top-10 finishes in the last six races. The No. 88 car -- the one that shares shop space with Johnson -- has had three drivers, as Dale Earnhardt Jr. is out with a concussion.Four-time Cup champion Jeff Gordon and young driver Alex Bowman have shared driving duties for Earnhardt, and Gordon being in the car played a critical role in Johnsons victory on Sunday. His feedback helped the organization look at some of its issues in a different way, and the team has debuted some new cars in the past month that have implemented those suggestions.Having Jeff Gordon in the car has really opened up our eyes to a different side of Jeff thats helped us, said crew chief Chad Knaus, who didnt work as closely with Gordon when Gordon drove the No. 24 car, which is housed with the No. 5 car at the HMS complex. Jeff gives great feedback, as does Alex, and its been interesting to hear what they say.Its kind of like when you hear the same thing over and over and over again, but then somebody else tells you the same thing, your ears kind of perk up a little bit.Charlotte was a natural place for Johnson to snap his skid. He broke a 19-race winless streak at the track in 2003. His eight wins at the 1.5-mile track are more than any driver, but five of those victories came in a six-race stretch from 2003-05.A driver never forgets how to win. A driver such as Johnson knows the sport can be cruel, and in some ways, it has been in recent years. He had not advanced to the semifinal round of the new elimination-style Chase for the Sprint Cup in its first?two seasons.That all changed Sunday as a byproduct of Johnson snapping the winless streak. His quest to tie Dale Earnhardt and Richard Petty with seven career titles just turned into a serious possibility.Johnson has said he doesnt know how to manage this Chase. In the past, he just had to have the best 10-race stretch, and Johnson had mastered that on tracks that seemed to bring out the best in him. His titles, especially the five consecutive from 2006-2010, were an amazing feat of having to run great for so long and so consistent.Now, the Chase rewards one-day wonders or three-race streaks. Not until the final four events does a driver have to match what Johnson used to do over 10 races to win the title.Johnson knows what a car should feel like for him to have that type of performance.I dont have to scare myself to put up a good lap time [now], Johnson said. I can drive a good, smooth, consistent lap. ... If I do need to go out there and scare myself and pull away from the 20 [of?Matt Kenseth] or pull away from the 11 [of Denny Hamlin], I can do it and get rewarded for it.Johnson earned the biggest reward on Sunday. He was followed by fellow Chase driver?Kenseth?and then three non-Chase drivers -- Kahne, Ryan Newman and Kyle Larson. Several Chase drivers had issues, with five of them -- Hamlin (30th), Austin Dillon (32nd), Elliott (33rd), Joey Logano (36th), Kevin Harvick (38th) -- now in a potential battle to avoid being among the four eliminated in two more races.Six-Time Johnson has no worries, and all he needs is four races like his championship runs of his prime and he will hoist a seventh title trophy. Even during those stretches of Johnson mastery, team owner Rick Hendrick didnt partake in the Victory Lane celebration shower.But there he was Sunday. Apparently snapping a 24-race winless streak is truly a special occasion.Ive never taken the champagne bath in 30-something years, Hendrick said. So it was like our first race again.As many championships as the Hendrick drivers can conquer (Hendrick has won 11 Cup titles), theres something about being down-and-out -- about not performing, about spending millions and millions of dollars and going home without a trophy -- that stings.Johnson talked about it. And Hendrick insinuated it.Nobody has to remind me that we hadnt won a race, Hendrick said. You guys [in the media] remind me of that every weekend, and they do on TV.I think we were washed up and should have quit. But it kind of motivated us, he added. Nobody ever gave up, and you know, we know what a champion Jimmie is.Chris Lindstrom Falcons Jersey . The 17-year-old native of Marystown, N.L., pulled out of Skate Canada International last month in Saint John, N.B., with the same problem. Takkarist McKinley Falcons Jersey . Haas said he "felt a lot of pain" in his right shoulder when he slammed his racket to the ground in frustration after losing his serve at 3-3 in the first set. http://www.falconsrookiestore.com/Falcons-Steve-Bartkowski-Jersey/ .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. John Cominsky Youth Jersey . Bryant, who signed a five-year, $34 million contract as a free agent with Cleveland in March, reported symptoms on Monday morning, a team spokesman said. Calvin Ridley Jersey .J. -- Marty Brodeur beat the Pittsburgh Penguins yet again.EDMONTON -- The Edmonton Eskimos will be getting some key players back on both sides of the ball when they renew acquaintances with the B.C. Lions this weekend. Receiver Fred Stamps and defensive end Marcus Howard finished three solid days of practice Thursday and are expected back for the rematch between the West Division rivals Saturday in Vancouver. Both missed last weekends 17-3 Eskimo loss to the Lions in Edmonton. "(Stamps) had a very good week of practice," head coach Kavis Reed said Thursday. "Were very encouraged by what weve seen and we dont see any reason, right now, why he shouldnt be back on (the roster). Barring some unforeseen setbacks we expect him to be playing on Saturday." Stamps said its been frustrating not being able to practice fully through the few weeks of the season, but after three solid days on the field he said he feels good and will feel "even better come game time." Reed said Howard also had a good week of practice. "There havent been any setbacks with him as well so were pretty enthused to say that hes probably going to be back," Reed said. Reed agreed that the return of the two key individuals on offence and defence will make the Eskimos a much better team on Saturday when they try to even their record at 2-2 and pull even with the Lions in the West Division standings. "You can list our top guys and theyre going to be in the top five or for sure the top 10," Reed said of Stamps and Howard.dddddddddddd "So theyre significant to their respective units, to what were doing. We really feel with them on the field were a much better football team." The Eskimos will have to be that if they hope to beat the 2-1 Lions. Last weekend the offence managed just 176 yards -- 97 of that on Mike Reillys completing 13 of 23 passes. With the offence running just six plays in the third quarter, the defence was on the field for nearly 12 minutes and surrendered two long touchdown drives to the Lions to start the second half. The Eskimos are confident the return of Stamps, who leads the team with nine catches for 150 yards and two touchdowns in the two games he played, will bring life to the offence. The six-year CFL veteran posted those stats even though he hadnt practised much because of an undisclosed leg injury. Despite the lack of reps, Stamps and Reilly seem to have instant chemistry. "Those two have spent a lot of time together in the film room, lots of time after practice with each other, visualizing and talking through routes," Reed said. "Fred is a consummate pro. Fred is going to be where he needs to be when he needs to be there. Mike has to trust that and Mike has trusted that. Weve seen that Fred is his go-to guy a in spite of the fact they havent had the opportunity to get a number of reps together."Cheap Jerseys [url=http://www.cheapas