Aktuelles » I learned the last time.Pieters, who finished fourth

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- When its all said and done at the end of this season, NASCAR just might have to thank Hurricane Matthew for saving its Chase.It sure didnt seem like that when rain was trying to swamp the weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway. No track activity Friday, nothing again on Saturday and no buzz about the opening race of the second round of the playoffs.Forced to run two races on Sunday, both NASCAR and Charlotte Motor Speedway somehow managed to pull off a miracle. They got a pair of decent races on a perfect North Carolina fall afternoon -- not great races, but good enough that the Chase now warrants some chatter .Even better, conversation will be about drivers and the standings and how teams are going to react after a race of attrition at Charlotte caused five championship drivers to finish 30th or worse. Now, only eight points separate Denny Hamlin in the transfer position from last-place Kevin Harvick.Do you know what that means? A reprieve from talking about laser inspection, changing rules and encumbered finishes.Finally, a chance to focus on what should really matter: the racing!The word drama was bandied about often Sunday as contender after contender went to the garage. First up was Joey Logano , who had a wrecked car because of a tire issue. Then Harvick pulled into his stall with a mechanical problem. Austin Dillon was spun by Martin Truex Jr. on a restart. Chase Elliott was collected in that accident. Then Hamlin had an engine failure while running second late in the race.None of that is the kind of drama that has driven the Chase the last two years. That excitement centered around Brad Keselowski getting tackled, Keselowski getting punched and Matt Kenseths running feud with Logano. Yes, those are the instances that make NASCAR a watercooler conversation on Monday mornings, but the drivers absolutely abhor the sensationalism and scrutiny that comes with such displays of emotion or personality.So now theyve provided an opportunity to really look at the racing and wonder how each team will react in this suddenly intense Chase.The first round didnt knock anyones socks off -- two Truex wins and a Harvick victory -- and no shocking elimination. Everyone probably wanted Tony Stewart to make it out of the first round, but nobody thought he was running well enough to do it. Stewart getting knocked out was hardly the same level of stunner as Jimmie Johnsons first-round elimination a year ago.But after Sundays opener , this round has the potential for some serious nail-biting over the next two weeks. Some really big names are going to be eliminated at Talladega Superspeedway, where the Chase field will be trimmed from 12 to eight drivers.Free from worry is Johnson, the somewhat surprise winner on Sunday. It was his eighth victory at the Hendrick Motorsports home track, but Johnson has been a bit overlooked the last three years. Hed failed in the first two years of the elimination format to get past the second round, and theres been no reason to think that Hendrick Motorsports can compete with the four Toyota drivers or Harvick.But a summer of hard work has suddenly put Hendrick on the radar , and both Johnson and teammate Elliott have turned it up in the Chase. Now, Johnson has a spot in the round of eight, and his sights squarely on a seventh championship.History has shown that Johnson dominance does little for the NASCAR fan base, and theres been a total lack of appreciation for his five consecutive championships and six overall. But his win at Charlotte felt different. There was a sense that seven might actually be doable, and Johnsons pursuit of Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt in the record books could be embraced this year.Whether Johnson moves your meter, his hunt for that seventh title is surely more entertaining that which driver fails the laser inspection each week.So thank you, NASCAR. Thank you, Chase teams. Thank you, Charlotte Motor Speedway. Thank you, Jimmie Johnson.Finally, theres something to talk about in NASCAR. Adidas Prophere NZ . -- There were so many positives from the Orlando Magics first victory of the season that it was hard for coach Jacque Vaughn to stop praising his players. NMD R2 Sale Womens . -- Jakob Silfverberg is making himself right at home with the Anaheim Ducks, scoring four goals in his first four games. http://www.nmdshoesnz.com/adidas-x-plr-cheap-nz.html . LOUIS -- Valtteri Filppula assisted on three of Tampa Bays four goals, and the Lightning beat the St. Superstar NZ Sale . Michell Burger, a woman who lives on an estate next to Pistorius gated community, said she and her husband were awoken by the screams in the pre-dawn hours of Feb. 14 last year, when Pistorius killed Reeva Steenkamp by shooting four times through a door in his bathroom. Adidas NMD Womens NZ . This should be celebrated because it will not always be this way. With the amount of money given to players by their clubs these days, it is a wonder that so many of those teams allow the sport to continue to take away many of their assets so they can play for a different team in the middle of their season. VYSOKY UJEZD, Czech Republic -- Defending champion Thomas Pieters is by himself at the top of the Czech Masters leaderboard after shooting a 2-under 70 in Saturdays third round for a two-stroke lead.The Belgian began the round sharing the lead with Jeff Winther of Denmark but moved ahead after three birdies at the front nine and another birdie on the 10th.But Pieters fell back with two straight bogeys on the 11th and 12th for a 12-under 204 total at the Albatross Golf Resort near Prague.I think there were too many poor shots today, Pieters said. I had some good looks at birdie down the stretch but I didnt hit enough good putts and the greens were a little bumpy at the end ... It was the same last year, I was one ahead, so Ive been in this position and hopefully I can just use what I learned the last time.Pieters, who finished fourth on Sunday at the Olympic course in Rio de Janeiro, won the Czech Masters last year for his first European Tour victory.Paul Peterson of the United States produced the best third round with an 8-under 64 to equal thhe course record.dddddddddddd. After a flawless round with eight birdies, Peterson surged to second with a 10-under 206.I had no idea I was anywhere near the course record, Peterson said. I figured somebody went crazy out here but its awesome to hear and Im really happy with that round.Winther is a shot further back after carding 73, tied for third with Englishman Robert Rock, who had seven birdies for a 7-under 65.Pieters would need a win here and again at Made In Denmark next week to automatically qualify for the European Ryder Cup team.Another Ryder Cup hopeful, Matthew Fitzpatrick, is five strokes behind the leader in a tie for sixth with four other players: Englishmen Charlie Ford, David Howell and Ryan Evans, and David Lipsky of the United States.Fitzpatrick is currently in the last spot for the automatic Ryder Cup qualifying.Lee Westwood, who hopes to be a Ryder Cup wildcard pick, carded 70 for a 4-under 212. ' ' '