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The first half of the Sprint Cup season brought some of the closest finishes in NASCAR history, a surprise manufacturer announcement and a delayed farewell tour that still has epic potential.Denny Hamlin won the Daytona 500 by inches over Martin Truex Jr., Stewart-Haas Racing announced a switch to Ford in 2017 and the team co-owner, Tony Stewart, missed the first eight races of his final Sprint Cup season with a broken back.With 18 races down and 18 races remaining -- eight Sprint Cup races left in the regular season before the 10-week Chase for the Sprint Cup -- the focus wont just remain on the championship battle.What to watch for over the second half of the season:Free agencyThe top free agents, based on points, are Martin Truex Jr., Ryan Newman, Paul Menard and Kyle Larson.Truex and Larson more than likely will stay where they are, although until they sign contracts, their teams have to worry that they might be ripe for the picking if something unexpected happens at another team.Some would think Hendrick Motorsports would want to snap up Larson to replace Kasey Kahne, but Kahnes contract runs through 2018 and support from Great Clips might be too much for Hendrick to want to try to attempt a buyout. And, frankly, the No. 5 team doesnt have the best history. If youre Hendrick, do you wait until Dale Earnhardt Jr. or Jimmie Johnson seems ready to retire before attempting to lure Larson from his current spot at Chip Ganassi Racing? Finally, Hendrick has remained loyal to his drivers in recent years, and he has stuck with them through hard times such as the past couple of years for Kahne.Newman likely will depend on sponsor Caterpillars preference but also RCR must want to get Ty Dillon to Cup. Menard also must renew his deal, and with sponsorship, could take it to another organization, but they also would need to buy a charter to be guaranteed spots in the field.The replacement for SprintThere seems to be plenty flavors of the week and even a few flavors of the month, but so far no one company has emerged publicly as the solid front-runner to replace Sprint. Walk through the garage and every couple of weeks, a new name surfaces of who will serve as title sponsor for 2017 and beyond.Its not the greatest sign for NASCAR that it doesnt have the deal done yet, but it also should not cause panic -- with the heavy drop in ratings the first two races before a more manageable decline for many other events, any company taking a serious look would want to wait and see how things developed this season with a new aero package and without Jeff Gordon.The racing has improved, and while the television and attendance figures raise concern, NASCAR should find a company willing to sponsor the series. It likely needs to get it done at least in principle by the end of August, as companies set their budgets for the upcoming year.NASCAR has wanted a 10-year deal like the original one signed by Nextel, but it probably can get more annually from a three-year or five-year deal.The sponsor not only provides the bulk of the $20 million-plus season-ending points fund but also must make a commitment to promote the sport through advertising and other promotions (not to mention NASCAR likely hoping they sponsor the All-Star Race).Tony StewartStewart has won a race in his final season. Hes in the Chase as long as he remains in the top 30 in points and he would have to have a disastrous next eight weeks to drop out.So now comes the Chase for Stewarts final season. How far can he go?Stewart will try to replicate his 2011 performance in the Chase where he turned a mediocre season into the championship by winning five of the final 10 races.That probably wont happen. But are you going to be the one to doubt the three-time champion in his last 10 races with a zero-cares-given attitude?Hendrick MotorsportsRick Hendrick celebrated his 67th birthday Wednesday. He might not have had room for any cake considering how fed up he was with his team the past couple of weeks.Hendrick Motorsports failed to put any of its drivers in the top 10 at Kentucky. The same was true a week earlier at Daytona. It was the first time since October 2011 that Hendrick failed to have a top-10 driver in back-to-back races.In looking at the past nine races, the Hendrick drivers would rank sixth (Chase Elliott), 18th (Kasey Kahne), 23rd (Dale Earnhardt Jr.) and 25th (Jimmie Johnson) in the standings.Should they be worried? Maybe.The past four races have had little to do with what the drivers will face much of the remainder of the season, as Michigan had the proposed 2017 rules package, followed by a road-course race at Sonoma, the restrictor-plate race at Daytona and another 2017 race at Kentucky.2017 aerodynamic packageNASCAR hopes to have the 2017 rules to teams in August, or at least the main parts of the rules package so teams -- and Goodyear -- can start working toward 2017.The race at Michigan appeared as a good start, and the race at Kentucky gave NASCAR a chance to see the package on a newly paved track.While it might not hurt to get one more race with the 2017 package, NASCAR probably has seen enough to try to implement many of the elements for next year. The key is lowering the corner speed and creating cars where side force is not such a big an issue so that a driver trying to make the pass cant be pinched and lose immediate control.The BrickyardAfter an incredible 100th Indianapolis 500, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway made a big push for renewals. With all that effort, where will the Brickyard 400 sit in the IMS landscape?The 2015 NASCAR race probably had 20 percent of the crowd of the 2016 Indianapolis 500, and no one expects to match it. But if NASCAR only draws 60,000-70,000 at Indianapolis, is that big enough to have an event? Can NASCAR handle being the second, third and fourth fiddle at Indy?The races at Indianapolis havent created the most drama beyond fuel mileage ones. And the Xfinity Series races at Indianapolis will have heat races. That should be, well, gulp, interesting.Daniel Suarez impactDaniel Suarez became the first Mexican-born driver to win a NASCAR national series race when he captured the Xfinity Series race victory last month at Michigan.So whats next?It is unlikely Suarez will have a spot at Joe Gibbs Racing in a Sprint Cup car. Will someone else give him a chance in the next few years? It probably depends on if he wins again as well as the sponsorship he could bring with him.And the other question is what will happen to the NASCAR Mexico Series, where Suarez ran before coming to the United States? NASCAR has not released a schedule yet for the series in 2016, and while NASCAR still works to come up with some sort of abbreviated 2016 schedule, time is running out for any races to happen this year.Donald and HillaryIts an election year and there are 16 races remaining before the 2016 U.S. presidential election.Will Donald Trump, BFF of BZF (NASCAR Chairman Brian Z. France), show up at a race? Hillary Clinton? Or their running mates?Fans dont like it when their sports get political. But with NASCAR races in swing states such as Michigan, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Virginia between now and mid-October, it makes NASCAR a likely candidate for candidates.If they dont make it, locals can still expect others running for federal office or governorships to use NASCAR to meet and greet and ask for votes.Dont say we didnt warn you. Shilique Calhoun Jersey . In Europe, top teams seem to be largely happy with their squads after spending nearly $1 billion in the off-season. And although English league clubs are unlikely to splash cash in January, Arsenal and Chelsea could be tempted to strengthen their squads with new strikers. Eric Tomlinson Jersey . Jane Virtanen scored two, and Alex Roach and Elliott Peterson rounded out the offence for the Hitmen (40-15-6). Brady Brassart chipped in with three assists. Colton McCarthy scored twice, Brayden Point had a goal and two assists, and Jack Rodewald also scored for the Warriors (15-35-9), who were 2 for 5 on the power play. https://www.patriotsjerseysale.com/701p-gunner-olszewski-jersey-patriots.html . Spiller left Week 3s 27-20 loss to the New York Jets with a thigh injury, but fully practiced with the team all week and expects to be ready to go on Sunday. James Ferentz Jersey .C. -- Manny Malhotra had two goals and an assist, leading the Carolina Hurricanes to a 6-3 win over the Ottawa Senators on Saturday. Shaq Mason Jersey . -- Sergey Tolchinksy scored his second goal of the game 3:56 into overtime as the Sault Ste. VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- You could call them the Comeback Kids, but the Vancouver Canucks hope to discard that nickname soon.The Canucks (7-10-1) have come back to win three of their past five games, and most others have required -- often unsuccessful -- rally attempts.But the Canucks are looking to develop a different storyline Saturday when they host the Chicago Blackhawks (12-4-2) at Rogers Arena.Wed like to come in and get the lead and maintain the lead, which would be nice, defenseman Ben Hutton said. But coming from behind just shows the character in this locker room.Vancouvers last two wins have come in overtime. Hutton was the hero on Thursday as he scored on a penalty shot in OT to give the Canucks a 3-2 victory over the Arizona Coyotes. Markus Granlund scored the extra-time winner two games ago, on Sunday, as the Canucks rallied to beat the Dallas Stars.Rather than delivering on comebacks, the Canucks would prefer to stage a comeuppance -- as in a climb up the standings from the NHLs nether regions.Since winning their first four games of the season, the Canucks have not managed to win two in a row. The three aforementioned wins are the only victories that they have posted in their past 14 games.Accordingly, defenseman Erik Gudbranson hopes that the huge win over Arizona -- a team at the bottom of the NHL standings -- will spark some badly needed momentum as the Canucks conclude a four-game homestand against the Blackhawks.We need to start somewhere, Gudbranson said. We need to put something together. Were passionate about winning. We want to win here.We dont want to feel like those guys that have to bury their heads at the grocery store and feel embarrassed. We want to be good every single night. There is a lot of character in this dressing room. We are constantly pushing ourselves.The usual push will need to be much bigger against the Blackhawks, who lead the Central Division despite having integrated six first-year players into their lineup. The Blackhawks have points in 12 of their past 13 games.Winners of three Stanley Cups since 2010, they are succeeding at rebuilding on the fly -- something the Canucks have also sought but struggled to do. Canucks coach Willie Desjardins, whose future with the team has been discussed less often this week, hopes their recent success will boost their chances against the Blackhawks.We are starting to get a few wins, Desjardins said. It should give us a little life going against Chicago. Chicago will play hard, and we know they are a real good team. I think we will come to the rink and have a good performance.Fatigue could be a factor as the Blackhawks play the second of back-to-back games after Fridays 3-2 victory in Calgary. But the Blackhawks could get energy from a comeback story of their own.Rookie winger Vinnie Hinostroza is expected to retturn to Chicagos lineup after recovering quickly from concussion suffered Tuesday in a collision with Winnipeg defenseman Josh Morrissey.dddddddddddd According to Honotroza and coach Joel Quenneville, the player passed the leagues concussion protocol.Anytime youre dealing with your head, its a scary thing, so you want to be patient, Hinostroza told the Chicago Tribune. But, luckily, it was a quick turnaround. Usually, its a bit longer. We had a nice two days off there, so I kind of just laid in bed, didnt move. I feel good now.Hinostroza, a 22-year-old Bartlett, Ill., native, was drafted by Chicago in the sixth round (169th overall) of the 2012 NHL entry draft and has spent most of the past two seasons in the minors, except seven games with Chicago last season. He had been playing on a line with stars Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane before being sidelined.The rookie does not think his recent inactivity will slow him down.Obviously, two days laying in bed, you get a bit out of shape, Hinostroza told the Chicago Tribune. But you get in shape quick here.Meanwhile, the Blackhawks hope their seven-game Circus Trip -- so dubbed because it occurs each November when Barnum and Bailey and Ringley Bros. take over the United Center -- will enable Hinostroza and other young players to bond with the rest of the team.The trip started poorly with a 4-0 loss in Winnipeg, but the Blackhawks rebounded with their victory over the Flames on Friday night.We want these guys to come together as teammates, general manager Stan Bowman told ESPN.com this week. Right now, they dont know each other all that well.A win in Vancouver, where the teams somewhat dormant rivalry still stokes ill will, could further strengthen the relationships. A victory could also help the Blackhawks improve on a so-so road record that contrasts sharply with their 8-1-2 home mark.This (road trip) is going to be a good benchmark for us as a team, Bowman said.If the Canucks want to discard their nickname, they will have to pay close attention to Chicago winger Marian Hossa, 37, who has five goals in his last six games and is tied for fourth in the league behind Patrik Laine (12), Sidney Crosby (11) and Michael Grabner (11). Hossa scored the controversial winning goal on Friday as he fell into Flames goaltender Brian Elliott.I just try to put the puck at the net right now, Hossa told reporters afterward. When you feel like the pucks going in for you, you just try to be around the net or shoot pucks to the net and try to make plays.Canucks G Ryan Miller, who missed Thursdays win with the flu, has been deemed healthy again. As a result, rookie G Michael Garteig was returned to Utica of the American Hockey League on Friday. ' ' '