Captains sting the Hornets in 2OT CNU hockey

sports
w e d n e S D A Y, O C T O B E R 7 , 2 0 0 9 | P A G E B 3
Captains sting the Hornets in 2OT
Football | Five turnovers by the
Captains’ defense and double overtime
helped CNU defeat Shenandoah 30-27.
by Eric Avissar
er ic.av issa r.0 9 @ cn u.edu
In the final contest of a
three-game homestand, the
Captains found themselves
at a crossroad s b et we en
going 1-3 and 2-2.
Although they were constantly up against the ropes
against Shenandoah University, the ultimate result
was a 30-27 victory in double
overtime, after Sophomore
Markis Kelly made the game
winning interception.
A fter the Captains
exchanged touchdowns with
the Hornets of Shenandoah
in the first overtime, sophomore kicker Matt Bourne
made a 28-yard field goal to
put the Captains ahead.
On Shenandoah’s following possession, Kelly made
a diving interception in the
CNU end zone, ef fectively
ending the game.
Kelly said, “The coverage
was a press and leave technique. He threw the ball and
it looked like I was back in
the end zone, but I dove and
picked it. When the ball was
coming to me, I knew the
game would be over and I
would have to pick it.”
Kelly’s interception wasn’t
the only thrilling moment for
the Captains.
Facing the end of regulation with four seconds to play
tied 20 -20, senior defensive
end Trevor Wagner blocked a
41-yard Shenandoah field goal
attempt that would’ve beaten
the Captains at the end of
regulation.
Wagner’s block came on the
heels of the Captains tying
the game with the final score
of reg ulation on a 10 -yard
scamper from freshman quarterback Christian Woel felMonsivais at the end of the
third quarter.
The Captains touchdown in
the first overtime came from
senior running back Tunde
Ogun, who was able to rediscover his form from his previous All-American season,
rushing for 76 yards.
Running without a brace
for the first time since he
sprained his meniscus, Ogun’s
most important contributions
came in overtime, as he ran
for 35 yards after regulation.
Ogun said on the health of
his knee, “It feels great. I’ve
been feeling good for the past
two weeks, but there was no
rush to get me back. Coach
(Matt Kelchner) just wanted
me to come back a hundred
percent healthy for confer-
ence play.”
Senior wide receiver T.J.
Foster made key early contributions for the Captains.
On the first play from scrimmage, Foster broke a 41-yard
run on a reverse.
He also caught a 55 -yard
touchdown pass, connecting
with Woelfel-Monsivais for
a touchdown catch for the
second straight week.
Certain statistical differences were clear as well.
Shenandoah held possession of the ball for what could
have been an overwhelming
4 3 minutes and 6 seconds,
while the Captains only held
the ball for 16 minutes and 54
seconds in regulation time.
The Captains also won in
spite of suffering 103 penalty
ya rd s, wh i le Shen a ndoa h
were penalized for 68 yards.
“We didn’t play a very good
game overall. We were just
hanging in there and hanging
in there, and trying different
things,” Coach Matt Kelchner
said.
Defensively, the Captains
forced five turnovers, led by a
fumble recovery and interception from junior linebacker
Bryan Vaughan.
Senior safety Jay Kirland
also made his third interception in the past two games.
The Captains also forced
a turnover on downs with
Kelly’s game-ending interception.
Di f ferences i n t he kicking game for both teams also
made a difference in the ultimate outcome.
Matt Bourne played a critical role in the Captains victory, making all three field
goal attempts from 28, 29 and
30 yards. Shenandoah were
unable to convert all three
field goal attempts.
“That’s the difference in the
ballgame right there besides
the interception. Field goals:
0 - 3 ( Shen a ndoa h) a nd 3 - 3
(CNU). He’s a sophomore who
had to step up, and he stepped
Ryan Kelly/The Captain’s Log
Senior T.J. Foster returns a kick during the game on Saturday against Shenandoah. Foster
had one reception for 55 yards and a touchdown. He has 274 yards and two touchdowns
on the season for the Captains and is the leading receiver for CNU, clicking with all three
of the quarterbacks CNU has used thus far this season.
up big,” Kelchner said on
Bourne’s performance.
Wagner emphasized the
importance of every game
for the rest of the season, as
the Captains won the conference opener is such close
fashion.“Every game from
here on out like it is a playoff
game, because in the conference if you lose a game, we
are essentially done. Anybody else can run the table,
and we have no control over
what they do,” Wagner said.
Ogun added his praise for
the Captains mental toughness throughout.
“We are a good team when
it is at the top of the clutch;
we always find a way to win.
We don’t ever at any point
say we are out of a game,”
Ogun said.
The Captains return to
home play on Oct.17 against
N.C. Wesleyan for the homecoming game. n
Ryan Kelly/The Captain’s Log
Ryan Kelly/The Captain’s Log
Senior Tunde Ogun protects the football as he enters the end zone during the game on
Saturday against Shenandoah. Ogun returned to a more prominent offensive role, when
he ran for 75 yards, 34 of which were in the overtime session. This was Ogun’s first game
when he was free of his knee brace.
CNU hockey trounces ‘Gulls 7-3
By Cassie Vinch
cassa n dr a.v i nch.07 @ cn u.edu
I n a w i ld a nd d r a m at ic
game that featured a total of
45 penalties and 11 goals, the
CNU Capt ai ns Ice Hockey
team rode the fine goaltending of Junior Chris Wingo,
a pair of goals from Captain
Brian Bowser, a junior, and
an aggressive power play to
lead CNU to a second straight
victory, 7-4, on Friday night. “ We r e a l ly d id n’t k now
anything about this team. We
don’t know much about any
of the teams we are playing
right now because it’s a new
season. We were just prepared
to go out there, play hard and
just try to put them away and
get another win,” Bowser said
after the game. That kind of mentality—not
focusing so much on who they
were playing but rather just
making sure they played their
hearts out and left it all on the
ice—proved to be a successful
formula. Wingo was perfect in the
first period, blocking goals
left and right and making several nifty glove saves. “O u r pl a n defen sively
was to move the puck off the
boards and play physical in
our own zone. I thought in
the second period we weren’t
as good as the first but we’ll
take the win,” Wingo said of
their team’s plan to defeat the
Gulls. Bowser got the Captains
rolling at about seven minutes of the first period.
With CNU on a power play,
Bowser rif led home a slap
shot from the top of the faceoff
circle.
Not long after, with both
teams down a player after
si mu lt a ne ou s p en a lt ie s,
junior forward Bryce Evason
faked right and scored on an
assist from junior defenseman
Ryan Pageau.
After another penalty by
Salisbury, junior defenseman
Jon Dalziel slid the puck home
on a power play.
The penalties began to stack
up, and not in either team’s
favor, and the game clearly
was not moving smoothly.
It probably didn’t help that
due to an injury, only two
referees were on hand rather
than the usua l three, and
there were a number of simultaneous pena lties on both
teams that arguably weren’t
deserved by either team. “Our team really thrives
off of the crowd when they get
wild, and when we get big hits
and it really hurts our team
when we get a penalty every
t i me we touch s ome one,”
Bowser said. CNU kept rolling, however,
with senior defenseman Brandon Schall scoring unassisted
near the end of the first period
to take the Captains up 4-0,
which led the Gulls to switch
goalies in hopes of changing
the momentum. Wingo’s shutout lasted only
15 seconds into the second
period, when Salisbury scored
its first goal.
But the Captains scored
again on a power play by sophomore forward Rob Fitchett to
take them up 5-1. Bowser said the team’s ability to capitalize on its power
play was a very positive sign
and a huge part of their win. “Our power play is always
one of our strong points and
we get a lot of goals on it and
tonight our power play was
just on point so I got an opening to snipe a few in there a
couple times,” Bowser said. Salisbury scored the next
two goals to pull within 5-3,
but CNU struck right back as
Bowser scored his second goal
on yet another power play to
take a three-goal lead into the
second intermission. The penalties would start to
accumulate like crazy in the
third period, which featured
one of the most interesting
a nd excit i n g pl ays of t he
night on a goal by sophomore
for wa rd Ryan Dove. W hat
was interesting is the way he
did it — he hopped out of the
penalty box, got the puck,
drove straight to the goal and
slammed it home. “Just scoring in general is great, but
being able to pop on in like
that for my first goal was a
good feeling,” Dove said. Salisbury would score once
more, but that was all they
would get, and the Captains
skated off with the win. On Saturday, the Captains
traveled to Liberty University, where they took a hard
10-3 loss. Their record stands
at 2-1. Be sure to attend the next
home game at the Hampton
Roads IcePlex on Oct. 16 as
the CNU Captains take on the
Richmond Spiders.n
Men’s soccer goes 2-0 on road trip
By Cassie Vinch
cassa n dr a.v i nch.07 @ cn u.edu
Football
L a s t p l a y e d : CNU 3 0 ,
Shenandoah University 27
High light: T he Captains
were able to overcome the
Hornets in double overtime.
This is the second time this
season that CNU was able to
come out on top in overtime.
N e x t up : T h e C ap t a i n s
travel to Danville, Va. this
weekend, and take on North
Carolina Wesleyan College at
POMOCO Stadium with a 1
p.m. start time
Men’s Soccer
Last played: 9/30: CNU 2,
Virginia Wesleyan College 1
10/3: CNU 1,
York College of Pennsylvania
0
Highlight: Last Wednesday
the Captains were able to win
2-1 in overtime over the Marlins.
They were able to improve
their record to 9-1 on Saturday as they defeated York College 1-0.
Nex t up : CNU t a ke s on
Nor t h Ca roli n a Wesleya n
today with a 7 p.m. start time.
Women’s Soccer
Last played: 9/30: Sailsbury
University 1, CNU 0
1 0 / 2 : CNU 2 , S t .
Mary’s College of Maryland 1
Highlight: A lthough
the lady Captains lost last
Wednesday, Senior Dineen
Sampson had 12 saved on the
night.
As CNU initially fell behind
1- 0, they were able to fight
back for the victory.
Jen Campbell tied it up at
one, and she would also score
the game winner against St.
Mary’s College.
Next up: On Saturday, the
lady Captains take on Methodist University at 1 p.m. The
following day they take on
Greensboro College, in hopes
of improving their record.
Field Hockey
Last played: 9/30 : CNU 4,
University of Mary Washington 3
Highlight: The lady Captains won in overtime, forced
by Mary Washington scoring
back-to -back goals. Senior
A n ne G eh ri ng scored t he
winning with a little over
four minutes remaining in
overtime.
Next up: The Captains take
on Bridgewater College today
on Captains Field at 5 p.m.
Volleyball
Last played: 9/30 : CNU 3,
Shenandoah 0
see Briefs page B4
w e d n e S D A Y, O ctob e r 7 , 2 0 0 9
T H E C A P T A I N ’ S L O G | PAGE B 4
Goalie Sampson proves she’s a Keeper
athlete profile | Senior goalie Dineen
Sampson continues to be a force in the
net for Lady Captains’ soccer
By Sarah Crouse
Sa r a h.Crouse.0 9 @ cn u.edu T he goa lie of a soccer
team is devoted to taking the
opponent head on to protect
their goal and intimidate all
who dare to come near.
The best goalies are ster e ot y pic a l ly l a r g er a nd
heads taller than the rest
of t he tea m wit h powerful arms and legs built to
bravely take out any challenger.
She barks orders out to
the rest of the team, commanding them with lungs
like bullhorns and places
them where they are most
needed on the field.
The goalie is tough and
br uta l, and requires the
most intensity as everyone
on the field.
Dineen Sampson is not
your typical goalie.
She is 5-foot-6, with light
brown eyes and a bright
friendly smile.
Sitting next to me was
a girl with sparking eye
shadow and a bubbly laugh
that was as intimidating as
a kitten in a bit of humidity.
Somehow, I just couldn’t
picture Sampson as a bloodthirsty goalie ready to tear
apart all who come near.
But Sampson’s personal
record speaks for itself.
So far in the season,
Sampson has made 61 saves
and has a .803 save percentage and on average on ly
allowing one goal a game.
With 10 more games in
the conference the girls are
confident that this year will
be a successful one.
Sampson has
f a it h i n t h e
team saying
they’ve
“ b e e n
i mp r ovi n g
every
si n g le
game.”
Last
y e a r,
10 girls
from t he
CNU
t e a m
made all
con fere n c e
and all
state.
The team even made it to
the NCAA playoffs, which
they are hoping to make a
return to this year.
Accordi ng to Sa mpson
the hardest aspect of being
the goalie is “communicating with the whole team.
B ec ause you st a nd back
and can see the whole field
you direct everyone and help
them out, but you still have to
focus on your own job.”
Despite her many crucial
responsibilities, Sampson
doesn’t let the stress affect
her.
“Everyone has pressure,
but the way I see it, they
have to go through 11 people
before they get to me.”
Sampson attributes her
success to the entire team
and explained that they are
like her family because of
how much time they spend
together.
S a mp s o n h a s s o c c e r
pl ayer s a s ro om m ate s,
classmates, a nd best
friends.
This relationship they
have really helps them on
the field Sampson says,
“You have to be able to
be comfortable with each
other. We can tell people
how it is on the field but
still be confident that you’re
gonna be friends when you
walk off.”
T he CNU gi rl’s soccer
team may be hard-core on
the field,
b u t
together
they
like to have
f u n
and just play
t h e
game together.
Before a big game you will
not find the team feeling
stressed or anxious.
Instead, they are dancing
in the locker room to songs
like Faded by Soul Decision
and music from Buck Cherry.
“We dance together, get
into the mindset of the game
and just let loose, relax, and
cheer.” Sampson is very dedicated
to soccer and is focused on
the game not just in the fall.
It adds up to being about 90
percent of her time between
practices, games, training,
running, and lifting.
That’s right lifting.
The team has power lifting
with Coach Dean twice a week
du ri ng t he season. Sa mp son personally can squat an
impressive 265 pounds.
“Everyone has
pressure, but the way
I see it, they have to
go through 11 people
before they get to me.”
-Senior Dineen SAmpson, Goalie
Lady Captains soccer
Sampson may be a tough
goalie, but she has an even
stronger heart.
Sampson is a good goalie
a n d a g o o d f r ie n d ,” s a id
Trevor Wagner, a fifth year
senior and fellow Captain’s
athlete.
On and off the field Sampson is an inspiring person
who always offers a friendly
smile to those who need it.
She dedicates hersel f to
her teammates and friends to
always be therefore each other
no matter what.
This trait of being a solid
support system most likely
comes from her family, who
Sampson recognizes as being
her Super Fans.
She is very thankful for
thei r commitment to her
by coming all the way from
Pennsylvania to see as many
games as they can.
It is no wonder that Sampson’s biggest inspiration is
her father.
“He had a rough chi ldhood,” Sampson explains.
“ But he over came it and
became a Division I wrestling athlete and did a lot
with his life that was unexpected. He encouraged me to
do the same.”
Perhaps this experience
i s why S a mp s o n v a lu e s
her childhood so immensely
and accredits her parents to
why she is so successful.
Girls Soccer Coach Ruth
Keegan speaks very highly
and passionately about her
goalie.
“I tell the kids no matter
where they are on campus
they go to represent yourself, the team, and the athletic department. Dineen is
a true role model and very
professional off the field but
still is the animal we need
on the field. She’s a fantastic
goalie and did a brilliant job
against SU last Wednesday.”
Un fo r t u n at e ly fo r t h e
team, Sampson is a senior
a nd i s enjoyi ng her l a st
season with the team. But Sampson’s not out of
steam yet.
“I hope that we can win
conference! ” she exclaims
when asked about her goals
for this year. “We’ve been to
conference for the last two
years, but this year we want
to win. And beat Virginia
Wesleyan,” she adds with a
laugh.
To Sampson her biggest
moment on the team “hopefully is still to come. Freshman year we won conference
championships and it was
such an awesome experience
I would love to do it again.”
After CNU, Sampson still
wants to continue with her
passion of sports by going
to Grad School to be a Nutritionist and being a personal
consultant for a sports team,
preferably the Philadelphia
E a g le s wh ich whom she
adores.
Needless to say, no matter
what Sampson continues on
to do after she leaves CNU,
she will definitely be successful. But we have made
as big a n i mpression on
Sampson as she has made on
us during her years here.
“I would definitely like
t o t h a n k my t e a m a n d
my c o ach Rut h Ke e g a n ,
they really made me enjoy
soccer,” Sampson said.
As the season continues
No. 2 in the net for the Lady
Captains hopes to continue
her dominance in goal.
“Being a strong person
m e a n s m i n d , b o dy, a n d
spirit,” said Sampson.
“Being mentally strong is
just as important as being
physically strong. But being
true to yourself and aware
of all you can do is how you
truly have strength.” n
Amy Stello/The Captain’s Log
MLB playoffs set
to start
Warning track | The AL and NL
Dvisional Series kickoff after the Twins
and Tigers settle some business Tuesday
By Cassie Vinch
cassa n dr a.v i nch.07 @ cn u.edu
That’s it.
It’s over.
The whole kit and caboodle.
The regular season for the
MLB is done.
Now all that’s left is the
most i mpor t a nt pa r t — t he
playoffs.
The most interesting, gutwrenching, blood-pumping
time of the year. Where every
pitch, every hit, every catch
matters.
Where the best of the best
face off to see who will lay
claim to the title of World
Series champions.
We l l , it ’s a l m o s t o v e r,
a n y w a y. T h e M i n n e s o t a
Twins and the Detroit Tigers
went dow n to the wire on
the season’s final day in the
A merica n L eag ue Cent ra l
Division.
The Tigers had a two-game
lead with three to play, but
lost two straight to the White
Sox while Minnesota took two
from the Royals. That had
them tied going into the last
game on Sunday.
Tigers ace Justin Verlander
tossed seven strong innings,
Ryan Raburn hit a pair of
homers and Curtis Grand-
erson made a diving, gamesaving catch as the Tigers
downed the White Sox, 5-3.
D e t r oit f a n s h a d t o b e
heartened to hear that Twins
manager Ron Gardenhire had
decided to go with much-maligned pitcher Carl Pavano,
who has been awful lately.
B ut P av a no we nt 5 2 /3
i n ni ngs, g ivi ng up fou r
r u ns,not g reat, but not
terrible,while his teammates
picked him up, scoring four
in the first inning and three
in the second, with six of the
seven runs coming on a pair
of three-run bombs by Jason
Kubel.
Minnesota had to survive
some shaky bullpen work, but
they pulled it out by a score of
13-4.
What does all that mean?
The most exciting thing in
baseball — a one-game playoff
scheduled for Tuesday in Minnesota.
You can bet everyone in
Detroit and Minneapolis will
be on the edge of their seats.
T he Yankees have home
field advantage in the American League Divisional Series,
but they won’t know whether
t hey’l l pl ay t he T wi ns or
Tigers until that one-game
playoff has been settled.
The Yankees have to like
their chances with either
team — they went 5-1 against
Detroit and 6-0 against Minnesota this year.
Everything else is set.
The Dodgers and Rockies settled their roles in the
playoffs on Saturday, as the
Dodgers secu red t he N L
West title, and the Rockies
finally nailed down the NL
wild card.
The Dodgers will take on
the Cardinals, with their
series starting today, and
the Rockies will face the
defending World Series Phillies starting today as well,
with both series broadcasting on TBS.
The Red Sox will play the
Angels in Anaheim, and the
day they start depends on
what the Yankees decide to
do.
As the team with the best
record in the league, they get
to choose whether they want
start their series to start on
Wednesday or Thursday.
Various reports indicate
t hey a re lea ni ng towa rd
launching on Wednesday.
They must decide no latter
than one hour a fter it is
determined whether they
will be playing the Twins or
the Tigers.
Those games will air on
TBS as well.
If you’re a baseball fan,
this is what you wait for all
season. Get ready for playoff
baseball. n
the 2009 MLB Playoffs
Billy’s Picks ALDS: New York Yankees, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
NLDS: St. Louis Cardinals, Philadelphia Phillies
ALCS: NYY vs LAA
Winner: New York Yankees
NLCS: STL vs PHI
Winner: St. Louis Cardinals
World Series: NYY vs STL
Winner: New York Yankees
Stewart breaks slump,
wins at Kansas
By Kaitlyn Vincie
k a i tly n.v i nci e.0 6 @ cn u.edu
Tony Stewart is back in the
game.
After several weeks of less
than satisfactory finishes, the
38-year-old, two time champion took his No. 14 Chevrolet
to Victory Lane at the conclusion of the Price Chopper 400.
A fter crew chief Darian
Grubb made the decision to
take only two tires on the
final pit stop, Stewart found
himself in the lead off pit road
and maintained his position
for the final 26 laps to win for
the second time at Kansas.
“He’s a little gutsy,” Stewart
said of Grubb in Victory Lane.
“That’s a good thing though.
You don’t question him when
he makes a call, you know it
is the right thing to do and
you go from there.”
This marks Stewart’s fourth
win for the season, but his
first in eight races, keeping
his championship hopes alive.
He has now gained a spot in
the Chase standings, moving
from fifth to fourth and cut
his poi nt def icit to Chase
leader Mark Martin from 106
to 67.
“It’s about half of where we
were, we still got a shot, we
got a great shot at this still,”
Stewart told Dave Burns in
Victory Lane.
Stewar t’s win has given
a breath of fresh air to the
Chase.
Initially, it appeared that
Hendrick Motorsports would
run away with the championship from either points leader
Mark Martin, or three time
winner Jimmie Johnson.
At Kansas, both Hendrick
contenders struggled, but still
posted top-ten finishes.
The top four Chase contenders now sit within 67 points of
each other, which will ensure
an exciting final seven races,
and reminds us that no one
has secured the championship just yet.
One of the biggest surprises
of the season comes from first
time Chase contender, Juan
Pablo Montoya who currently
sits third in points, 51 points
behind Martin.
He is the only chaser to post
a top-five finish at all three
races, after finishing fourth
at Kansas.
Jeff Gordon, who struggled
early in the race with the
handling of his car, dropped
to twelfth position on Lap 47.
By Lap 97 he had moved up
through the field to eighth.
After a yellow flag pit stop
on L ap 1 2 7 he ra n i n t he
fourth position off pit road
and eventually worked his
way to second, trailing Stewart by a mere four-tenths of a
second.
“We came a long ways and
that shows what kind of a
great team we have,” Gordon
told ABC pit reporter Shannon Spake.
“We were really far off at
the beginning of this race,
but that was a great effort for
us. I’m really proud of Steve
[Letarte] and all the guys in
the pits. That is the kind of
effort we need to show if we
want to win this championship,” said Gordon.
Roush Fenway Chase contender, Greg Biff le, finished
third after leading the race
by as much as a nine second
margin before the sixth final
caution, where he opted for
four tires instead of two.
“We had a great run, and I
really felt four tires was the
right call, but it was just too
loose. I feel so bad I didn’t get
the win,” Biff le told Spake
after the race.
Ch a se c ontender D en ny
Hamlin rounded out the topfive at Kansas, with a record
high of nine Chase contenders
in the top-ten.
T he S pr i nt C up ci r c u it
will now travel to Fontana,
California for the Pepsi 500 at
Auto Club Speedway on Oct.
11. n
Cassie’s Picks
ALDS: New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox
NLDS: Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia Philies
ALCS: NYY vs. BOS
Winner: New York Yankees
NLCS: LA vs PHI
Winner: Los Angeles Dodgers
World Series: LA vs NYY
Winner: New York Yankees
From Briefspage B3
10/3: CNU 3, Methodist 0,
CNU 3, Greensboro 0
Highlight: In the Shenandoah game, freshman Kara
Elder had 10 kills in the first
match and 11 in the second
to lead the Captains. CNU
is 42-0 in their last 42 USA
South games.
take on the Richmond Spiders
at home on October 16th at 11
p.m. at the Hampton Roads
IcePlex.
Cross Country
Last Played: 10/3: George
Mason Invitational
Next up: 10/9: The Captains will take on University of Mary Washington at
3 p.m. and Juniata College
at 7 p.m.
High light : Sophomore
Corey Lofton was the top finisher for the men with a time
of 26:34, good for 34th. Senior
Amy Wampler was the top
finisher for the women at 38th
with a time of 23:35.
Ice Hockey
Next up: The Captains
Next up: 10/17: Gettysburg
Invitational
Golf
Last Played : 10/4 : Ted
Keller Memorial Tournament
Highlight: CNU as a team
shot a 292, 305 for a finish of
597. Sophomore Joe Evans
was the top golfer for the
Captains with a 72-74-146.
This is the Captains’ second
straight tournament win.
Next up: 10/12-10/13 Virginia State Intercollegiate n
All information courtesy of
http://www.cnusports.com
Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel/MCT
Tony Stewart in the 14 car battles former teammate Kyle Busch in the 18 car during the July
race at Daytona. Stewart won that night at Daytona and returned to victory lane Sunday at
Kansas to improve his chances at his second Sprint Cup Title. Stewart is in fourth place in the
Sprint Cup Standings going into Fontana, only 67 points behind points leader Mark Martin.