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RICHMOND, Va. -- Jamie McMurray knows the kind of pressure NASCAR drivers are under at Richmond International Raceway in the cutoff race to qualify for the Chase for the Sprint Cup.He has experienced it from all sides.McMurray, who will make his 500th career Sprint Cup Series start Saturday night in the Federated Auto Parts 400, is on the brink of qualifying for the Chase for the second year in a row.He and fellow Chevrolet driver Ryan Newman are battling for the 16th and final entry into the 2016 Chase, assuming theres not a new winner, with McMurray holding a relatively comfortable 22-point advantage.Coming out of Sunday nights Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway, the gap was just seven points, but Newman was penalized 15 points by NASCAR on Wednesday because his car failed the postrace laser inspection.Thanks to the penalty, McMurray can breathe a little easier. But he knows he cant afford to cruise and collect.Im not going to do anything different, he said between practice sessions Friday at RIR. Im just going to race the way we have all year long. I feel like my style of racing is somewhat conservative anyway to get the best finish out of it you can. Thats whats put us in this position.Weve got a really good car, and thats going to make it easier, he added. The car is better than normal in practice, and this has been a pretty good track for me. We could have a first-time winner, but I dont expect me to outrun [Newman] by 20 positions or vice versa.We just need a normal race, maybe try to give some guys a little extra room and have a solid night.McMurrays position on the bubble is not as comfortable as it was a year ago, when he clinched a Chase berth by simply taking the start at Richmond.But hes happy to be on the positive side of the points ledger, where he can afford to be defensive rather than forced into uncharacteristic aggression.And after losing what looked like a certain Chase berth back in 2005 when his car dropped a valve spring with 30 laps to go, McMurray also knows that the drama about who makes it into the NASCAR playoffs and who misses out wont be determined until the checkered flag flies.Until youre locked in, it doesnt matter, he said. In 2005, I was in, and then I wasnt because the motor stopped running. So Im not going to race any differently until its over.Making the Chase is a goal you set out every year, he added. Everybody wants to win a race, you want to win a pole and you want to be in the Chase. Last year I didnt really get what a big deal it is, but now I really want to be a part of it again.Among winless drivers, Chase Elliott and Austin Dillon are in slightly better shape pointswise than McMurray. Elliot can lock in by finishing 17th, while an eighth-place run for Dillon would do the job regardless of all other scenarios.Dillon and Cup Series rookie Elliott are looking to make the Chase for the first time.Weve done a good job putting ourselves in position, said Dillon, who is Newmans teammate at Richard Childress Racing. I wish we were locked in by now, but I feel like we have a car capable of running pretty well here and were going about it like a regular race weekend. If we have a good strong finish, [the Chase] will take care of itself.I think Ive been nervous for the last two or three weeks now, he continued. Being in the Chase is a big deal. Its one of our main goals. Hopefully we can pull out a strong result Saturday night and maybe even contend for a win.Although the main focus is on the fight for 16th in the points, the subplot is Chris Bueschers battle to remain Chase eligible by staying in the top 30.Buescher took a fog-aided victory at Pocono Raceway in the No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford and is 11 points ahead of David Ragan on the Chases other cutoff line.I think we pretty much know what we have to do, Buescher said. Were going to control what we can control and do our best to have a clean race and stay out of trouble. This is not one of my better tracks, but we made progress in practice and are definitely better than we were here in the spring.Theres a lot of anticipation leading into this weekend, but Im pretty confident were in a good spot right now.For Newman, Kasey Kahne and the rest of the field, even though they can still sneak in on points, winning Saturday nights race is really their only realistic shot. Kahne finished a season-high fourth in the spring race at Richmond, but repeating that result wont be enough for him to crack the top 16 without a lot of help from the likes of McMurray and Buescher.Newman was already unhappy that he lost several places in the pits Sunday night at Darlington [he finished eighth but thought he could have been third], and the subsequent 15-point penalty made his task even tougher.He believes the speed he showed at Darlington should translate to the smaller Richmond oval.It gives us hope going into Richmond, Newman stated. We go there like we always do, to win. Ive been in this situation before. Well go and do everything we can to win and make the transfer.Even drivers who have already qualified for the Chase admitted they are following the intrigue over the cutoff for 16th with interest.For some guys, this is their whole season, said Carl Edwards of Joe Gibbs Racing. This is everything theyve worked for, so Ill definitely be conscious of that. You dont want to mess up anybodys season.By the end of the race, it will be kind of fun to watch that. Nike Air Jordan 1 Clearance . 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. Buy Air Jordans Wholesale . -- Washington Redskins tight end Fred Davis was charged Thursday with driving while intoxicated, a day after he was suspended for an NFL substance-abuse policy violation. http://www.wholesalejordan11.com/discount-jordan-11.html . -- Arizona raced out to a big lead and did not back off, hitting the accelerator instead. Jordan 11 Cheap Online .ca NFL Power Rankings, overtaking the Denver Broncos and remaining ahead of NFC competition San Francisco, Carolina and New Orleans. Cheap Jordans 11 For Sale .J. Jefferson has been charged with assaulting his girlfriend. HOUSTON -- James Harden blamed the added suspense on Rockets coach Mike DAntoni.Harden made a free throw with 0.1 seconds left, lifting the Rockets over the Dallas Mavericks 93-92 in their home opener Sunday night.Harden put extra pressure on himself by missing the first of two foul shots after being fouled by Wesley Matthews on a driving layup at the buzzer with the game tied.Coach messed me up, man -- he said, `Make the first one and miss the second one, and I did the opposite, Harden said with a smile. Im just happy I made it and we came away with the win.Harden led Houston with 28 points, seven rebounds and seven assists, edging Matthews in a gutsy back-and-forth.After trailing by 10 entering the fourth quarter, Dallas tied it at 92 on a 3-pointer by Matthews with 4.1 seconds remaining.DAntoni was pleased with the execution on the play that won the game. Nene received the inbound pass and found a cutting Harden with a crisp bounce pass before Matthews drew his sixth foul.Thats what he does, DAntoni said. Thats why hes one of the best, and hes just so good at drawing fouls and getting in the lane.Matthews led Dallas with 25 points and J.J. Barea scored 18 points off the bench. In falling to the Rockets for the second time in three days, the Mavericks fell to 0-3 for the first time since 2011-12, the lockout-shortened season following their title.We gave ourselves a chance, and it comes down to the one play and the whistle, Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said. Were up against it right now in a lot of ways, but no ones backing down. Weve just got to find a way.Dallas was without Dirk Nowitzki (illness, sore Achilles tendon) for a second straight game. Nowitzki participated in pregame warmups but was a late scratch.Our margin for error is so slim, Matthews said. Were not the Golden State Warriors, were not the Cleveland Cavaaliers, were not the Spurs, but were a .dddddddddddd.. good team. So weve got to minimize the stuff that we can control.Houston got strong performances from offseason additions Eric Gordon, Ryan Anderson and Nene in their home debuts. Gordon had 14 points, Anderson had 14 points and 12 rebounds and Nene had 11 points.The Rockets capped the first and second quarters with points at the buzzer. To end the first, Corey Brewer hit a 3-pointer from 30 feet out. Harden ended the second quarter on a driving layup to put the Rockets up 63-53.Late in the third quarter, Houstons Trevor Ariza and Dallas Salah Mejri received double-technical fouls after both players fell to the floor and were tangled for a few seconds. Ariza clinched his fists before he was restrained by players.TIP-INSMavericks: Without Nowitzki, Dallas was frequently undersized but managed to hold their own in the rebounding category, with Houston edging the Mavericks 46-42. ... Starting in Nowitzkis place, Seth Curry played 23 minutes and scored no points on 0-for-3 shooting.Rockets: Houston was plagued by 17 turnovers compared to just nine turnovers from Dallas. ... Sam Dekker scored nine points on 3-of-3 shooting from 3-point range.DEFENSIVE COMPOSUREAfter the defense struggled in a 106-98 loss to Houston on Friday, Dallas allowed 63 points in the first half before holding Houston to just 17 points in the third quarter and 13 points in the fourth quarter.HOPKINS IN HOUSEHouston Texans WR DeAndre Hopkins was in attendance for the game, just hours removed from his teams 20-13 win over the Detroit Lions.UP NEXTMavericks: Visit Utah on Wednesday night.Rockets: Visit Cleveland on Tuesday for the first leg of a season-long five-game road trip. ' ' '