NEWS » ere his temper flared as he smashed

Race car drivers spend the majority of their time thinking about winning races, competing for a title.Youre dominated by it and it occupies the majority of your professional life.Then theres the risk associated with your profession -- it doesnt dominate you like winning does, but it exists. You acknowledge it and move past it.Thats a glimpse into a drivers mentalityThis weeks a little bit different, because competing at Talladega elevates the risks.Your history there -- or more so the tracks reputation -- makes the risk equation just a bit more prominent in your mind.What does all this mean?It means Talladega with all its volatility is perhaps the single most difficult race for drivers to mentally prepare for.The one thing that protects a driver the most is a fast race car.At any track other than Daytona or Talladega, a fast car affords you the ability to separate from the field. Ultimately there is no safer place on the race track then out front in the lead. Fast cars help carry you there at unrestricted tracks.At Talladega, fast vs. slow hardly exists. There is not enough horsepower to create separation.At Talladega, every driver is in the lead because he or she has their right foot planted to the floorboard. You might ease off momentarily if all lanes are blocked, but its only long enough to avoid making contact, then its down again -- full throttle -- all the way around the 2.66-mile superspeedway.Its not that Talladega cant be fun, but it seems more fun for those with less to lose.Ive never associated all the first-time winners -- David Ragan-type upsets -- with anything other than all those drivers on those given days being willing to take just a bit more risk, perhaps when it mattered most late in the race.You lift, you lose is an expression you hear most often with this track.It oversimplifies the process and requirements for winning here because its much more than that -- but it does spotlight the prevailing attitude about competing at the Alabama track.You have to be brave, courageous and assertive in your decision-making.If youre cautious, you drift backward. If youre uncomfortable, you drift backward. If youre less willing than others to swap lanes in an attempt to intercept speed and momentum, you drift backward.But heres the difficult part. Unlike other tracks where you could gain some breathing room from drifting backward, at Talladega youve only gone from the front of the pack to the rearYoure still a participant of the 40-car three-wide draft, only now you are more vulnerable, more at risk, because youre not out of the storm, youve just positioned yourself to be right in its path if all hell breaks loose anywhere in front of you.It sounds crazy. It Is!The Bottom LineFor most of the Chase drivers, this is the most concerning race of the season because their championship hopes are pinned on having a safe and productive race.Thats asking a lot from Talladega because safe and productive arent common expressions at the facility.Its fast, its intense, its congested, its unpredictable -- all things you wish to avoid if youre a few points above the cutoff to advance.Drivers are at their best when they race instinctively, but few drivers can drive a full Talladega race on instinct alone.Most need the constant protection and reassurance of knowing when a car is near, inside or outside. They have to ask themselves, Am I clear? Which lane is building momentum?Your spotter hears sounds out of his element, more like an air traffic controller.At 200 mph, all this noise can be mentally exhausting.So dont ask me who will win. I cant tell you.Dale Earnhardt Jr. isnt in the race. He is one of the few drivers capable of racing Talladega instinctively, just as his dad always did.Brad Keselowski would be a good pick, I suppose, but I cant weigh the burden of battling to advance vs. simply driving to win.In other words, I think most championship-contending drivers will mix Talladega craziness with championship-obtaining logic.That is another way of saying I just want a safe and productive day.Good luck with that! China Jerseys Cheap .Y. -- Syracuse has turned up the defence at the right time all season, and when High Point threatened to pull off a monumental upset the second-ranked Orange did what they do best with their quick hands and savvy play. Discount Soccer Jerseys . The Clippers were angry about blowing a big lead; the Kings didnt like being in that kind of hole and nearly digging themselves out only to lose. http://www.jerseyssoccercheap.com/ . -- An ugly goal by Nick Bonino helped the Anaheim Ducks overcome the defensive-minded Phoenix Coyotes on a night when their ragged power play continued to struggle. China Soccer Jerseys . Haas said he "felt a lot of pain" in his right shoulder when he slammed his racket to the ground in frustration after losing his serve at 3-3 in the first set. Cheap Jerseys Wholesale . Manuel was offered a position the day he was fired. He accepted earlier this week and the team made the announcement Friday. NEW YORK -- Nick Kyrgios is confident of making a big splash in the Big Apple, but his first-round opponent here, Britains Aljaz Bedene, believes the Australian could be the architect of his own downfall Tuesday at the US Open.The volatile 21-year-old is coming off a second-round exit at Cincinnati, where his temper flared as he smashed three rackets in a row during a defeat to Borna Coric.Either he can play great tennis or he can go down. He is his biggest enemy, said Bedene, the Slovenian-born British No. 3, ahead of their match.Kyrgios, who said in a recent interview with the New York Times magazine that he wants to quit the sport at the age of 27, is also known for a signature tweener trick shot through his legs..dddddddddddd.Its not easy because it gets quite entertaining. Its funny, Bedene added. It gets interesting, as a player you want to enjoy the match. All those different emotions going through and then a player is playing tricks.Its not easy to stay focused, but you have to try to play the best you can.The best players always take advantage. You have to stay focused and you know those games and those points will come. You just have to grab them.Should Kyrgios win his first two matches at Flushing Meadows, he could face a potential third-round match against fellow Australian Bernard Tomic. ' ' '