I couldnt remember the last time I batted in a game, Montg

HOMESTEAD, Fla. -- Joey Logano leaned in toward Jimmie Johnson and offered a few words of comfort.At least we all sucked, Logano said.The four NASCAR Sprint Cup championship drivers all failed to get that one final boost they needed to better position themselves to win it all Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway.Logano, Carl Edwards, 2015 Sprint Cup champion Kyle Busch and Johnson all will start outside the top five. Busch will start ninth, Edwards 10th, Logano 13th and Johnson 14th. Johnson would match Dale Earnhardt Sr. and Richard Petty for the NASCAR record with his seventh career Cup championship.I dont think any of us want to start that far back, Edwards said.But they are bunched close enough that one TV camera can probably catch them all as they head into the first turn on the 1.5-mile track. Busch started third in the finale last season, won the race and his first career Cup title.The foursome likely wont lag behind the front of the field for long.This is a place you can pass, Logano said.The highest-finishing driver among the four is the 2016 champion. Under the revamped Chase format, the Homestead winner the last two years won the championship.Kevin Harvick and Brad Keselowski, eliminated from title contention in earlier rounds of NASCARs playoffs, played spoiler and swept the front row.I think weve been the two best cars all year, Keselowski said.Ryan Newman, Denny Hamlin, Chase Elliott, Martin Truex Jr., Matt Kenseth and Ryan Blaney all will start ahead of the championship drivers.The drivers out of the championship picture traditionally part to let the contenders race each other hard in the meat of the race.You get a little more respect from those guys, Busch said.Amid a heap of tributes, Tony Stewart starts 11th in the final race of his NASCAR career. Stewart is trying to race to his 50th career Cup victory and end a triumphant career in victory lane.There hasnt been any part of my career that I didnt enjoy, Stewart said. There are things about everything that Ive done that Ive liked more than others and disliked more than others. But as a whole, Ive enjoyed everything Ive done and the road that Ive taken to get here.Edwards and Busch are each vying to win a second straight championship for Joe Gibbs Racing. Johnson could bring a 12th title to Hendrick Motorsports. Logano wants to reward Roger Penskes 50th season in racing with another championship.Asked what keeps him going after all these years, Penske quipped, Trying to beat these guys.Harvick, the 2014 Homestead winner and Cup champion, won his second pole of the season. The Stewart-Haas Racing driver could also deliver a victory celebration for Stewart.Johnson was antsy to chase history.Qualifying isnt my strong suit, Im much better at racing, he said. 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CHICAGO -- The steady breeze from four, large portable fans whooshed through the Chicago Cubs luxurious new digs, sucking away whatever moisture lingered from the just-shampooed carpets.They missed a spot, laughed reliever Mike Montgomery, sitting at his locker. The left-hander lifted the sole of his shoe to show it was wet. You can still smell the champagne here.On the morning after the Cubs clinched a playoff spot, few members of the team with the best record in baseball had wandered back into the clubhouse ahead of an afternoon start still three hours away. Manager Joe Maddon, though, was already in his office and focused on what mattered next: breaking a century-and-counting World Series hex.I see now what everyone was talking about, said Montgomery, who arrived from Seattle in July as part of a four-player trade. Joe knows so much about baseball -- situational play, what the data calls for, what makes guys tick -- but he makes it look easy. So you dont always see how he works.Indeed, Maddons fingerprints are all over this team. With the playoff opener looming Friday at Wrigley Field, plenty of the credit for assembling this sudden juggernaut goes to Theo Epstein, the Cubs president of baseball operations. He helped assemble the lineup and has added complementary parts like Montgomery, closer Aroldis Chapman and outfielder Jason Heyward in a timely fashion.But its Maddons job to fit those pieces together. More impressive still is how hes made nearly every one of them better.Take the steady improvement that has second-year star Kris Bryant battling teammate Anthony Rizzo for Most Valuable Player. Or starter Kyle Hendricks breakout campaign and Cy Young candidacy.In Bryants case, it involved teaching the much-touted third baseman to cope with expectations. Maddon accomplished that by encouraging Bryant to take a few shifts in the outfield and even at first base, giving the youngster another skill to learn instead of obsessing over every at-bat.dddddddddddd In Hendricks case, it might have involved a deep data dive alongside pitching coach Chris Bosio, seeing whether the right-handers pitch sequence, location or delivery needed tweaking.But it might have been something as simple as this. A few weeks ago in Pittsburgh, Hendricks saw Maddon heading in his direction in the dugout. Hendricks expected Maddon to question his decision to stop at second base after Chris Coghlan singled behind him.Instead, Maddon asked him about the mascot at Dartmouth, where Hendricks went to college.When youre known as the Big Green, is that like Gumby? Maddon asked. Is he your guy? What does the mascot look like?Hendricks smiled at the memory. Nearly every other player on the roster has a similar story to tell.I got maybe 10 career at-bats. I couldnt remember the last time I batted in a game, Montgomery recalled. But I got a hit the other night and it was one of the happiest moments of my career. ...So Joe comes up to me the next day and starts discussing hitting with me and we have this long conversation about it, like I actually know what Im doing. He probably knows thats not the case. But now, Montgomery chuckled, Im already thinking, `Maybe Ill get another one.In an interview room just off the new clubhouse, Maddon parked behind a bank of microphones. Instead of the big picture, reporters wanted to know where he went after the party in the clubhouse broke up. In addition to being one of the best managers in baseball, Maddon is one of the most entertaining.I did not go out last night, he said.Why not? came the follow-up question.I had nothing, Maddon said smiling, sliding his elbow along the table and pretending he was about to nap.Dont believe it.This is one guy who always has something up his sleeve. ' ' '