Assembler » ething a lot of players can look up to him f

MARTINSVILLE, Va. -- Kurt Buschs Sunday at Martinsville Speedway, in some ways, was like his career wrapped into one afternoon. It started with a pit road confrontation with Brad Keselowski, one that had Busch threatening over his radio to rearrange Keselowskis face when the race was finished, and ended with Busch ending an 83-race victory drought. The victory was his first for Stewart-Haas Racing, in just their sixth race together, suggesting that it could prove a very productive partnership, and one that a reflective Busch said he has learned to approach with a more mature attitude. "I ran a lot of my early part of my career as an individual and I didnt respect my team, my team owners," Busch said, adding that having Tony Stewart as a team owner has helped him learn the value of better team communication. Celebrating in Victory Lane also was emotional, too, because he got to do it for the first time with his son, Houston. "It was pretty emotional. To see him starry eyed and not knowing what he needed to do and I was directing him where he needed to stand and where he could see it all better and put him up on stage," Busch said, his voice cracking. "And to have him break down in tears, it got me crossed up because Ive been trying to deliver for him ... It kind of took it to a new level." Busch did it by passing Martinsville master Jimmie Johnson for the lead with 10 laps to go and holding off the eight-time winner to win at the track for the first time since October 2002. It was his 25th career Cup-level victory, and that it came in the most unlikely of places suggested to Busch that hes finally in the right place, team-wise and personally. "Youve got to put life in perspective, and you have to learn from your mistakes and you cant just sit there and try to muscle your way individually through certain situations," he said. "And so you rely on your experience level, you rely on your team, and this is a great day for me to be able to lift the trophy in Victory Lane for Stewart-Haas Racing." Johnson, with eight wins in 25 career starts on the 0.526-mile oval, led 11 times for 296 laps. He seemed on his way to another victory when he took the lead from Busch with 17 laps remaining. But Busch stayed close, ducked underneath Johnson seven laps later and Johnson had nothing left to make a run at the lead, making for a polite-looking finish. "Thats all I had," Johnson said. "Man, I ran the rear tires off the car. I flipped every switch and knob I could in there to get front brake and turns fans off and try to help bring my balance back." Just ahead, Busch wasnt sure he could hang on. He hadnt finished in the top 10 in his last 16 starts here. "I didnt know if wed be able to do it, you know? The 48 car is king here, him or the 24," he said in Victory Lane, referring to Johnson and his Hendrick Motorsports teammate, Jeff Gordon, who also has eight Martinsville victories. "Ive been on this journey for a while and every time you come to Martinsville, you just kind of draw a line through it like theres no way Ill be able to challenge those Hendrick guys or be up in the top 10," Busch said. When it was over, Busch brushed aside talk about his in-race comments about his feud with Keselowski, who claimed that Busch "just drove right through me and ruined my day" on pit road, causing Keselowski to lose 30 laps and retaliate. "He tried to flatten all four of my tires," Busch said of his former teammate with Roger Penske Racing. "Thats a no fly zone. ... He will get what he gets back when I decide to give it back." The race featured an event-record 33 lead changes, and Johnson expected there would be one more, but on a slippery day on the smallest circuit in NASCARs premier series, the cars at the end werent conducive to typical short-track racing. "Man, we were so on edge slipping and sliding," Johnson said about the final laps duel, during which there was very little of the beating and banging that usually typifies end-of-the-day racing at Martinsville. "I think the lack of security in our own car kept us from feeling more racy and putting a bumper to someone or really getting inside someone aggressively." Dale Earnhardt Jr. was third, followed by Joey Logano and Marcos Ambrose. Virginia native Denny Hamlin, a four-time winner at Martinsville stung by criticism when he missed last weeks race in Fontana, Calif., because of an eye infection, promised Friday that he would win, and qualified second, but finished 19th. Cheap Air Jordan Shoes China . The Rays hope to stay alive for the postseason and salvage the finale of this series Sunday at Rogers Centre, where they dropped a 7-2 decision Saturday. Chris Archer lasted 2 1/3 innings in the no-decision, charged with a run and five hits, and Alex Torres suffered the loss in relief. Cheap Air Jordan Retro For Sale . The league announced Thursday that Tom Higgins is leaving that post effective immediately. http://www.jordanshoesretroforsale.com/?tag=cheap-air-jordan-3-free-shipping . With nothing tangible at stake, the Raptors turned in their most impressive outing of the fall in their seventh and second to last exhibition tilt against their stiffest competition yet, but they lost a couple starters in the process. Cheap Air Jordan 1 Free Shipping . The Raptors general manager has his list of possible draft selections whittled down to a handful ahead of Thursday nights NBA draft in Brooklyn, New York. The Raptors, who have auditioned dozens of players over the past couple of weeks, have the 20th overall pick in the first round, as well as the 37th and 58th picks in the second. Cheap Air Jordan Shoes . Algeria led 3-0 at halftime, but withstood a stronger South Korean second half performance to claim its first World Cup win since 1982 and move into second place in Group H with one match left to play. Defeat for South Korea means it must now beat already-qualified Belgium to stand a chance of progressing to the knockout stages. PINEHURST, N.C. -- Now that hes got that pesky major out of the way, Justin Rose is learning to savour the quest for his next big title. Hes not nearly as optimistic about Englands chances in the World Cup. Rose is the reigning champion heading into the U.S. Open at Pinehurst, a player who is certainly more at ease with his place in golf now that hes got one of those prestigious titles on his resume. "In the last few months, I sort of realized what I have achieved and its time to embrace it, enjoy it, and let that be the strength for me to go on and win more," Rose said Tuesday. Of course, theres another big sporting event beginning this week, one that will certainly have the attention of Rose and his fellow English players. Their soccer-mad nation has a huge opening match in the World Cup against Italy on Saturday, the soccer game scheduled to begin in Brazil about the time the third round of the Open is wrapping up in North Carolina. Reflecting the mood of his homeland, Rose is not very hopeful. Englands only World Cup title came in 1966 and expectations are low for this team, a youthful squad playing in one of the most difficult groups. "I would say theres probably more chance of one of us winning the major than England winning the World Cup," said Rose, among 11 English players in the Pinehurst field. "Sad to say." Roses primary focus will be on his bid to become the first repeat U.S. Open champion in a quarter-century. Last years triumph at Merion had been in the making for nearly that long, ever since Rose finished fourth as an 18-year-old amateur at the 1998 British Open. He spent the next 15 years trying to finish the job, chasing a major title that seemed increasingly elusive as the close calls began to pile up, the weight of expectations becoming almost too much to bear. Then, just when it seemed he might have a lifetime membership in the "Best Players Never To Win A Major" club, Rose won a duel with Phil Mickelson at the venerable club outside Philadelphia, clinching the title with a 4-iron intoo the demanding 18th hole that gave him the par he needed to hold off Lefty.dddddddddddd "I havent been one of those guys who said, OK, well, Im going to win X amount of majors in my career," Rose said. "I really want to treat this major that Ive won now as a gift and let it give me the ability to sort of free-wheel for the rest of my career -- play free, play loose, just go after it. Ive really got no pressure on me from that perspective anymore." Not surprisingly, the U.S. Golf Association paired Rose and Mickelson in the first two rounds. Both hope theyll still be playing together in the final group on Sunday. "I enjoy playing golf with Phil," Rose said. "I enjoy the spirit in which he plays the games, how free he is out there. Hes got a great temperament for the game. Nothing seems to faze him. Thats something a lot of players can look up to him for." Curtis Strange, the last player to win consecutive Opens in 1988 and 89, is pulling for Rose to join the exclusive club. "If Justin would happen to do it this year, that would be the first phone call," Strange said. "That would be fantastic." Rose missed the cut in his last tournament, the Memorial, though he thinks that might turn out to be a good break because it gave him more time to get familiar with Pinehurst. Before that stumble, he had ripped off three straight top-10 finishes on the PGA Tour, including a tie for fourth against a loaded field at The Players Championship. His biggest challenge this week might be keeping his mind on golf. During the 2010 World Cup, Rose held a three-shot lead going to the final round of the Travelers Championship. That morning, he watched Englands title hopes fade away with a 4-1 loss to Germany. Then he went out and shot a 75, finishing three shots behind winner Bubba Watson. "I never really calmed down," Rose recalled. "So maybe Ill be a little bit more careful about my emotions watching the football." After all, hes probably Englands best hope for a championship. ' ' '