al-Qaida and other militants.On Sunday, security forces raided a religious seminary on thee outskirts of the southwestern city of Quetta, where a suicide bomber killed more than 70 people earlier this month, a

The moment the checkered flag dropped at Martinsville, I began considering what a seventh title for Jimmie Johnson would mean to our sport.For most of my life, I felt Jeff Gordon would be the only human capable of matching the monumental feat of seven championships that only?Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt?have accomplished -- and then along came Jimmie.We have been tempted by this happening for a couple of years, since Johnson won his sixth in 2013, but this is the closest its come to a reality.Jimmie Johnsons chances in my opinion? Pretty damned good!Heres why:Johnson is the winningest driver on 1.5-mile tracks. He is very good on all other disciplines, but the intermediate tracks seem to be where he shines brightest.He has a phenomenal ability to extract everything from a race car on 180-190 mph unrestricted racetracks.Crew chief Chad Knaus is the Bill Belichick of NASCAR. He thinks progressively, innovates, elevates his crew members to a level they might not have thought possible. But most importantly, imagine the advantage the Patriots would have if Belichick had nearly three weeks to prepare for one team, one game.So give that same advantage to the 48 in Miami.Actions speak louder than wordsJimmie Johnson has never been a trash-talking in-your-face personality or athlete.He gives thought-provoking sound bites, answers questions with intellect and intrigue. He doesnt say what hes going to do; he explains how he will go about doing it.Johnson is not only among the greatest drivers we have ever seen, but he is also among the most sincere we have ever heard.Theres no B.S. in his discussions. Its all authentic. Johnson empties the tank in expressing himself, the same way he empties the tank on the track.I recognized during my driving career that distraction is among the greatest enemies.So during my 10 years with ESPN, Ive coined, and often used, the expression distraction is poison.Ive never known an athlete who prepares harder, demonstrates more commitment or defies the risks of that expression more than Jimmie Johnson.Johnson and Knaus know better than most you are most vulnerable: when you are at the top.Among the greatest misconceptions in sports is that once you become the champ, the hard work is over.Well, its over if youre satisfied with just one!When you become king of the mountain, youve woken a sleeping giant -- or giants.The 48 Team wont take to Miami what helped them win Charlotte (both 1.5-mile tracks) a couple of weeks ago.They will enhance that strategy with what they have explored and learned since. They will apply and likely capitalize on those lessons.Im not suggesting we hand the trophy to Johnson today; its obviously far from a lock.We dont know who the three are who will do battle with the six-time champ in Florida.We dont what effect the next two races will have on the four teams destined to square off later this month.We do know there is one team that has hoisted the trophy a half-dozen times, a driver locked and loaded with the aim of becoming part of another record. We know his history, and history tells us he seldom fails.Cheap Jerseys From China . -- Three close looks at the bucket, three misses. China Jerseys Wholesale . However, he did make them miss him a little less. Cundiff, who had the unenviable job of replacing Dawson last season, agreed Thursday to a one-year, $1. https://www.chinajerseyscheap.us/ . Isner, ranked No. 14, won his eighth career singles title and took the title in New Zealand for the second time after his victory in 2010. The match was similar to Isners quarterfinal victory over fifth-seeded Philipp Kohlschreiber which went to three sets, all tiebreaks and contained no breaks of serve. China Jerseys Cheap .J. Jefferson has been charged with assaulting his girlfriend. China Jerseys Stitched . -- New England Revolution goalkeeper Matt Reis is retiring after a 16-year career to become the goalie coach for the Los Angeles Galaxy.LAHORE, Pakistan -- Pakistani officials said Sunday that four Islamic extremists allegedly involved in a 2009 attack on the visiting Sri Lankan cricket team were killed in a shootout with police.The attack on the cricket team killed six police and two bystanders, and wounded six cricket players. The Pakistani Taliban and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, an affiliated extremist group, claimed the attack, which was carried out by 10 gunmen.The shootout erupted late Saturday on the edge of Lahore when other gunmen tried to break the militants out of police custody, a counterterrorism official said. Another senior official confirmed the account. Both spoke on condition of anonymity, fearing retribution.Pakistan has stepped up its fight against extremist groups over the past two years, including with a military offensive in North Waziristan, a tribal region near the Afghan border and longtime stronghold of al-Qaida and other militants.On Sunday, security forces raided a religious seminary on thee outskirts of the southwestern city of Quetta, where a suicide bomber killed more than 70 people earlier this month, and sealed it when they found nearly 100 illegal Afghan immigrants residing there, provincial government spokesman Anwarul Haq said.ddddddddddddOther such raids netted another 228 Afghans, said paramilitary spokesman Khan Wasey. It was unclear if the raids were linked to terrorism suspicions.Quetta is the capital of the southwestern Baluchistan province, which has long been the scene of a low-level insurgency by separatists groups. Islamic extremist groups also operate in the region. Six alleged recruiters for al-Qaida and the Islamic State group have been arrested in the province in recent days, according to provincial home minister Sarfaz Bugti.---Associated Press writer Abdul Sattar in Quetta, Pakistan contributed to this report. ' ' '