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HOMESTEAD, Fla. -- Theres a changing of the guard occurring in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, and Joey Logano is leading the charge.The 26-year-old Connecticut native has qualified among the final four drivers to compete for the Sprint Cup title in two of three years since NASCAR adopted an elimination playoff-style format to determine its annual champion.Logano is the youngest driver to reach the final four, and he is in position to become NASCARs youngest Cup Series champion since Jeff Gordon took the honors in 1995 at age 24. The only obstacle standing in his way is the Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, where he needs to beat six-time Cup champion Jimmie Johnson, Carl Edwards and defending Cup Series titlist Kyle Busch in a straight fight.In a sport where longtime star Gordon retired (theoretically) at the end of the 2015 season and three-time champion Tony Stewart is ready to exit the big stage, the younger generation is taking over. Johnson and other top Cup stars like Kevin Harvick and Matt Kenseth are all over 40 and likely soon to be thinking about following Gordons and Stewarts lead.Meanwhile, Logano and a band of rising twenty-somethings who are trying to become NASCARs future champions and stars are trying to capitalize.For Logano, the time is now. Although hes just 26, hes wrapping up his eighth full season in the Cup Series and making his second serious run at the championship.No driver has won more Chase races (seven) than Logano in the elimination format era, and he knows that based on what has transpired the last two years at Homestead, he will probably need to take his first win at the Florida track if he wants to secure the crown.Coming off a crucial victory at Phoenix International Raceway certainly helps.Weve got momentum, he said.?Theres a lot of excitement.?I remember when we got through a couple years ago to Miami, I wasnt as excited. I was immediately nervous right after the race [at Phoenix]. This time the feeling is, Hey, weve got confidence. I know we can do it. I dont feel like its a long shot like it was last time because weve been here before.?Weve been in these situations.The fact that Logano ended up fourth among the four title contestants at Homestead in 2014 after a slow pit stop led to a disappointing finish doesnt faze the Team Penske driver.Everyone told me Youve got to lose one to win one, and I thought that was the biggest crock of crap Ive ever heard in my life, Logano related. But you know what, its not the fact that you have to lose one to win one, its the fact that maybe it really helped me to just live through it once. Since then, weve been in those situations where we had to win a race to stay in the championship. And Homestead [in 2014] was the first time we ever had to do that.?I think were approaching it like its a normal weekend, he added. We race to win every week; why should we race differently for a championship, right?? Were racing to win that race, and thats ultimately going to have a championship attached to that.?Weve got momentum. Weve won multiple races. Weve got on rolls before where youve got that momentum and that confidence and it just keeps stacking up like it did last year, and were in good position to do that again.As a backdrop to Loganos championship aspirations, team owner Roger Penske is celebrating his 50th anniversary in racing as a team owner. Simon Pagenaud already won the IndyCar Series championship for Penske in what has been a very successful season for the most successful team owner in American motorsports history. But he only has one Sprint Cup title on the list, 2012 with Brad Keselowski.With Logano, Penske has found the perfect blend of youth and experience that is necessary to contend in the sport today.I can tell you that hes a quality young man, Penske said.?He listens. He motivates his team. I mean, hes there at the shop day in and day out, and theres never been a time weve asked him to do something on or off the track he hasnt done it with a smile.?You look at how tight hes been running here the last year and a half or two years, he really pretty much stayed out of trouble, and I think hes earned a reputation in the garage area that you can race hard with him. To me, thats important.But more important, I think the person himself, he represents us in a first-class manner, and he can be with us a long time, working together with Brad, Penske added. Hes matured, and you have to say that if you go up and down the garage area, at his age, weve got a real winner.Crew chief Todd Gordon likes what he has seen from Logano throughout this season, and especially when the pressure has increased in the Chase.I think the peace that weve had success and weve had speed through the last five races kind of builds your confidence to feel like we just need to go forward and do the things that weve done, and we can be successful, Gordon said.?Hes focused on that and focused on making sure our weekend runs the way weve run our weekends and doesnt change anything up.???????????I feel a lot of calm from his feedback and what hes saying and what hes doing and the mannerisms, he continued.?Hes all over just making this another race, and I think in a great position.Any of the four drivers in Sundays championship finale would make a worthy 2016 champion for NASCAR. But Logano has the opportunity to make his mark on the sport at a much younger age than the others.For him and for the Cup Series, the future starts Sunday. Ryan Finley Jersey . On Tuesday, Ottawa placed forward Cory Conacher and defenceman Joe Corvo on waivers as trade rumours swirl around the Senators. Renell Wren Jersey . That left plenty of energy for pitching books and swatting away free agency questions. Anthony had 24 points and nine rebounds, and the Knicks avenged an embarrassing home loss with a rout of their own, beating the Boston Celtics 114-88 on Wednesday night for their third straight victory. http://www.bengalsrookiestore.com/Bengals-Michael-Jordan-Jersey/ . Brett Kulak and Jackson Houck of the Vancouver Giants were each charged with assault causing bodily harm on Aug. 18, according to the B.C. court services. 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North Carolina is looking for some help for a repeat appearance in the ACC Championship Game, but the Tar Heels first order of business is to win their three remaining conference games so they can gain the advantage should Virginia Tech stumble in any of its three remaining ACC contests.That starts Saturday when the 18th-ranked Tar Heels (6-2, 4-1 ACC) host Georgia Tech (5-3, 2-3) at 12:30 p.m. ET (ACC Network) at Kenan Stadium in Chapel Hill, N.C.North Carolina and Virginia Tech are currently tied at the top of the Coastal Division standings but the Hokies hold the tiebreaker by virtue of their 34-3 beat-down of the Tar Heels on a dark and stormy afternoon brought on by Hurricane Matthew.The Hokies lost the next week at Syracuse, but have since beaten Miami and Pittsburgh to remain in control of the race. Virginia Tech travels to Duke this week and has games against Georgia Tech and Virginia left on its conference card along with a non-conference game against Notre Dame.Meanwhile, after the visit from the Yellow Jackets, North Carolina will be facing Duke on the road and North Carolina State at home among its remaining league foes with a non-conference affair against The Citadel, an FCS opponent, tucked in there at home.Of course, nothing should be taken for granted at this point of what has been a typically crazy college football season.Georgia Tech may be out of the division race but is showing some signs of life with wins it its last two games. Quarterback Justin Thomas is rounding back into 2014 form for the Yellow Jackets.Over the last two weeks the senior has looked more like the guy in control of the nations top running attack instead of the one who was frustrated and flustered in 2015. Last week against Duke, Thomas rushed for 195 yards and two touchdowns and threw for 264 yards and two touchdowns in a 38-35 win for the Yellow Jackets.You have to look at Justin Thomas and say he might have had his finest hour, Duke coach David Cutcliffe said. He played like a senior. Thats what I told him after the game.Thomas own coach was a bit morre reserved.ddddddddddddI thought he played very well, Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson said. He made some plays.The Yellow Jackets also present the usual problems for opposing defenses with their triple-option, run-oriented attack. The offense demands a disciplined approach from a defense.Its a lot of attention to detail, because you dont see this offense a lot throughout the year, North Carolina cornerback Des Lawrence said. Its almost foreign to you, so you have to revamp your thinking of how youre going to attack this team.Its switching gears and being able to be mentally focused on what you have to do.The challenge comes at a time when the Tar Heels defense seems to be rounding into form as well. In the two games before last weeks break, North Carolina kept Miami at bay for a 20-13 win, and then two weeks ago it held Virginia to just 253 yards of total offense and 14 points in a three-touchdown win.Each and every week, we were able to find some improvement defensively, whether it was within a unit or in one aspect or not, we were able to find some of that and you were able to see them growing, Tar Heels coach Larry Fedora. I think theyre playing with some confidence, and their confidence has grown over the last couple of weeks, and theyre just playing much better football.And the offense keeps on rolling.Quarterback Mitch Trubisky has performed at an all-conference level. He has completed 71.2 percent of his passes with only two interceptions (both in the Virginia Tech loss) against 18 touchdown tosses.Even with the loss of Mack Hollins (four touchdown receptions) to a season-ending knee injury, the receiving corps is deep. Ryan Switzer has 66 catches for 678 yards, Bug Howard has 36 for 538 and Austin Proehl 27 for 378.Elijah Hood also is back to give the running game a jolt. He rushed for 107 yards against Virginia in his second game back from an injury that had cost him half of one game and all of another. ' ' '