Die Allianz T-D-P » I have a lot of respect for Crawford. He has a lot of

BRISTOL, Tenn. -- Keeping a dynasty seems even more challenging than creating one. Just ask Hall of Fame car owner Rick Hendrick.The NASCAR titan has fielded 11 Sprint Cup champions over the past 21 years, won 242 Sprint Cup races and just two seasons ago had all four of his star drivers- Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kasey Kahne -- in the 16-team championship chase.These days, Johnson is Hendricks only surefire contender locked into the chase, although hes got others knocking on the door. Hendrick understands its a time of transition for his proud, powerful organization.You sign guys and you cant believe that Jimmie Johnson, or Dale or Jeff Gordon are 40 years old, Hendrick said. But time moves on.And brings change.Gordon retired last year, although he has driven the past four races for Earnhardt, who is recovering from a concussion that has put his playoffs in doubt. Chase Elliott, Gordons replacement, stands 12th in points and is a good bet to keep his spot in the chase. Kahne, at 17th, needs a victory to guarantee moving on.I think everybodys looking for that next superstar, Hendrick said. And if youre not willing to invest in the future, then youre going to be in a bind when the time comes.Hendrick took steps toward that last week, signing 18-year-old truck series leader William Byron to race Xfinity cars next season. In Hendricks eyes, Byron is that budding star wholl keep the organization chasing checkered flags for a long time.Byron raced trucks for Kyle Busch Motorsports and looked to have a future at Joe Gibbs Racing, the current power player in NASCAR. But with Busch, the defending Sprint Cup champion, Carl Edwards and Denny Hamlin all in their 30s (the fourth member is 44-year-old Matt Kenseth), there may not be room for advancement at JGR.David Wilson, president and general manager, Toyota Racing Development, USA, said Byron was a talent they hated to lose. I dont think we were anticipating the next step this soon, he said. I dont think William was anticipating it this soon.Dont fret for Toyota, which is developing several young drivers. Xfinity driver Erik Jones will advance to Sprint Cup with Toyota team Furniture Row Racing next year.Daniel Suarez, a 24-year-old JGR driver, was part of NASCAR Next and its Drive for Diversity program. He became the first Mexican-born driver to win a NASCAR race when he took the Xfinity race at Michigan two months.All, though, will have to wait their time. The JGR quartet -- think of the Golden State Warriors on wheels -- have won 10 of 23 races this season and are all locked into the playoffs for a championship run.Edwards, the groups newest member, said the level of cooperation between very competitive teams and drivers keeps all of them sharp.Yeah, were running really well, but its not one thing, its a very good foundation of teamwork and it all starts with Coach Gibbs, Edwards said. Its cool to be a part of it.Roush Fenway Racing, with 135 Sprint Cup wins and two championships, has also dealt with changes in recent years and the need to find young talent. Once a perennial title contender, the organization that featured 2003 title winner Kenseth and Edwards is crossing its fingers looking for one chase entry.Former Daytona 500 winner Trevor Bayne, 25, stands 15th in points, but would get knocked out if race winners Tony Stewart and Chris Buescher both maintain their spots inside the top 30 in points.Ricky Stenhouse Jr., the 28-year-old whos 19th in points, was second Sunday to Kevin Harvick at Bristol Motor Speedway, the highest finish for a Roush Fenway driver this season. Stenhouse said although no one at RFR is satisfied with this years results, he thinks strides have been made in returning to the top.We passed some cars that were running (well) and leading laps throughout the race, Stenhouse said.Buescher, 25, was last years Xfinity champion and is on an extended run in Front Rows affiliation with Roush Fenway. His win at Pocono last month put him in playoff position and he moved up to No. 30 -- the required placing to make the Chase -- with his fifth place at Bristol. A few more strong showings at Michigan, Darlington and Richmond the next few weeks and Buescher will be racing for a title in his first full Sprint Cup season.From the Ford camp side, we know weve got a little bit of work to do yet, and we all know whos been dominant at all these tracks this year, Buescher said. And were working to get ahead of that group.Cheap Nike Air Max Outlet . Louis. To which I would say two things: 1. Where there is smoke, there is or perhaps has been a little fire. Or, in other words, the two teams would appear to have at least spoken. And spoken is defined as one calling the other to inquire, no more, no less. Cheap Air Max 270 .Y. -- Sabres forward Drew Stafford has witnessed plenty of turmoil during his eight seasons in Buffalo. https://www.wholesalenikeairmaxshoes.com/ . Now, with Game 6 set for Fenway Park and an 8:07 p.m. ET first pitch, the Detroit Tigers face the unenviable task of having to beat the Boston Red Sox twice, on the road, to advance to the World Series. Nike Air Max Sale . Vettel was 0.168 seconds faster than Red Bull teammate Mark Webber around the Suzuka circuit. Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg was two tenths of a second off Vettel. "The car balance is decent, but I think we can still improve," Vettel said. Fake Nike Air Max Replica . Nine days before the opening ceremony, organizing committee chief Dmitry Chernyshenko said Wednesday that Sochi is "fully ready" and will deliver safe, friendly and well-run games that defy the grim reports that have overshadowed preparations.Two years ago, Viktor Postol was just another unassuming fighter trying to work his way to the top. And now look at him.He is widely considered one of the top two junior welterweights in the world and is heading into the biggest fight of his career, a title unification bout against the other best fighter in the division, Terence Crawford, on Saturday night (HBO PPV, 9 ET) at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.Postols growing reputation is based almost entirely on two big knockout wins -- but wins against quality opponents in fights that were televised on HBO and both were very impressive.First he drilled Selcuk Aydin, a longtime contender, in the 11th round in May 2014. That victory made him the mandatory challenger for then-world titleholder Danny Garcia, whose team put Postol off as long as it could. And then Garcia vacated the title and moved up in weight. That left Postol, who had stayed busy with a non-televised fight against a low-level opponent on a Garcia undercard, to fight for the vacant 140-pound belt.The mandatory opponent was Lucas Matthysse, a huge puncher and one of the most feared fighters in the division, although he had lost a competitive decision to Garcia in a 2013 title bout.Matthysse was the clear favorite to topple Postol and claim the title, but trainer Freddie Roach had Postol extremely well prepared and he fought masterfully when they met in October, winning by 10th-round knockout in a major upset.I was fighting for the title against one of the strongest punchers in the division, Postol said. The importance of this fight for my career and my life was not lost on me. It was all I thought about during training camp at Wild Card [Roachs gym in Hollywood, California]. Its all I ever wanted since I started boxing in a gym outside Kiev as a 12-year-old boy. I followed Freddies game plan from beginning to end. Even the last combination I landed -- right uppercut, left hook -- we worked on daily.Freddie Roach had me well prepared for that fight. My trainers made me a champion and helped me realize a dream I have had for a very long time. Every time I look at that green belt I will think of Freddie and everyone at Wild Card who helped me become a champion. I loved showing it off to all my friends, family members and fans in Ukraine. I am very proud to represent my country as a world champion.Following that victory, and with Garcia having left the weight class and Matthysse vanquished, Postol was clearly one of the best in the division, along with Crawford, the former lightweight champion from Omaha, Nebraska, who had moved up in weight and won a vacant 140-pound title 15 months ago.It was a very good performance, said Roach, who is going into his fourth bout as Postols trainer. We were in charge of the fight the whole time. Viktor followed the game plan perfectly. I remember before the last round I told our corner that Matthysse was very tired and ready to go out. He was coming in with his head leaning down. We told Viktor, Now is the time for a right uppercut and a left hook. Viktor took him out when he was ready to take him out. He is a good student of the game.Viktor deserved that victory. Ive never had a fighter work harder in training camp than he did. I was so happy for him when the fight was stopped. I just knew that a lot of doors would be opening for him now that he was a world champion and because of how he won that fight. This was, really, one of the greatest wins of my career. ... But I think Viktors perrformance on [Saturday] will surpass that.dddddddddddd We have a solid game plan for Crawford. We are going right at him from the opening bell. This is a real 50-50 fight. The best man will win and the loser will go back to Nebraska.But once again, Postol (28-0, 12 KOs), who will be making his first title defense, is the underdog as he and the 28-year-old Crawford (28-0, 20 KOs), the 2014 fighter of the year who will be making defense No. 3, get set to duke it out for division supremacy.But Postol, 32, is confident as is Roach, the Hall of Famer and seven-time trainer of the year. One of the reasons for Postols confidence is the presence of Roach, as respected a trainer as there is in boxing.I do not consider myself an underdog in this fight. Terence Crawfords fans might consider me as the underdog but that does not bother me, Postol said. Im 100 percent confident in myself and in my victory and the reasons are simple. I work harder in training camp than my opponents because I have to, because I want to. I have the best trainer working with me and his name his Freddie Roach. He has been named trainer of the year a record seven times and he is in the Hall of Fame.Crawford has no one like that on his team. Since I have been training with Freddie I have knocked out two of the three opponents I have faced -- Lucas Matthysse and Selcuk Aydin. Both were No. 2 world-rated contenders and both times I was considered the underdog. I have passed every test that I have taken as a professional fighter and with the best teacher in boxing working with me I intend to pass this one with flying colors. This victory will prove to everyone that I am the best fighter at 140 pounds and the king of the division.Postol also enters the fight with a big load off his mind. His wife, Olga, gave birth to their twin boys, Lukian and Timofey, on Tuesday in Ukraine. Postol said when the fight was announced that their impending arrival was big motivation for him because he wanted to bring home one title belt for each baby. Now that they are here, Postol said he has a sense of relief going into the fight.Roach has worked with a whos who of fighters during his career, most notably Manny Pacquiao. He has loved what he has seen from Postol since they hooked up before the Aydin fight and said he will take down another top opponent in Crawford.I do not feel that Viktor is an underdog going into this fight, Roach said. Why should I? In his two toughest tests -- Lucas Matthysse and Selcuk Aydin -- he didnt just knock them out, he took their will to fight away. He broke them down brick by brick. His experience against blue-chip opposition has been great preparation for his fight with Terence Crawford.Dont get me wrong. I have a lot of respect for Crawford. He has a lot of talent. But I think this is going to come down to resumes and I think Postol has fought tougher and better opponents than Crawford. Postol even spent an entire training camp with Manny Pacquiao in 2014 when Manny was preparing for Chris Algieri. Viktor more than held his own against Manny. Crawford is going to find out that defending a title against Hank Lundy and Dierry Jean is a lot different than fighting a fellow undefeated world champion like Viktor Postol. A win for Viktor will mean that the U.S. and the world has a new star in boxing. A star as bright as boxing has ever seen. ' ' '