AVONDALE, Ariz. [url=http://www.wholesaleadidasshoes.com/]Cheap Adidas Shoes China[/url] . -- A few drivers, like Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano, raced onto the track to get in their qualifying sessions. Others waited, some nearly 10 minutes, before heading out for the first time. There were long str

AVONDALE, Ariz. Cheap Adidas Shoes China . -- A few drivers, like Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano, raced onto the track to get in their qualifying sessions. Others waited, some nearly 10 minutes, before heading out for the first time. There were long stretches with almost no activity followed by mad scrambles to get runs in before time ran out. Cars raced past each other at close to a 100 mph difference. No doubt, this first round of NASCARs new knockout qualifying was a little strange and will take some getting used to. Brad Keselowski earned the first Sprint Cup pole under NASCARs new format, edging Joey Logano with a track-record top speed of 139.384 mph at Phoenix International Raceway on Friday. "Its a lot more nerve-racking," Keselowski said. "Usually a pretty good rule of thumb is that If its more nerve-racking for the drivers, its a lot more fun for our fans and partners and all those things, and thats a good thing. Im more interested in feedback from our fans to see if they liked it." Keselowski was one of the first drivers to go out in the first session and finished behind Logano. He trumped his teammate in the shorter, second session to earn his fourth career pole and a spot on the front row for Sundays 312-mile race. Jamie McMurray qualified third, defending Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson was fourth and Daytona 500 champion Dale Earnhardt Jr. will start fifth, next to Greg Biffle. "The qualifying format was before because I felt like I was one of those guys it was exciting for me because I wasnt in, I made another run, I got in," McMurray said. "The excitement was there." NASCAR made numerous changes for this season, including a tweaked qualifying process in an effort to liven up what had become a monotonous part of race weekend. Instead of going out one at a time, the entire field gets a 30-minute session to post their fastest lap, with the top 12 moving on to a 10-minute second round. On bigger tracks, the qualifying will have three sessions, with the field cut to 24 then 12. NASCAR got a glimpse of the new system at Daytona last week, but it didnt last long; the Nationwide series was able to get in one round before rain washed out the rest of the qualifying and for the Truck Series. The Daytona 500 didnt use the new qualifying process, so Phoenix was the inaugural go-round. No one knew quite what to expect and there was a bit of concern about drivers intentionally blocking each other to prevent fast lap times, something NASCAR officials planned to keep an eye on. Instead, the action on the track was sparse for long stretches, with some drivers racing out to get qualifying laps in right away while several others waited several minutes to get their first lap in. One issue while there were multiple cars on the track were the speeds. NASCAR decided against allowing teams to have cool down units in their pit stalls, so most of the drivers in the field put in one fast lap and one that was much slower to cool their engines, creating differences of up to 100 mph between the cars. "Weve got a really good dialogue with all of our competitors," said Robin Pemberton, NASCARs vice-president for competition and racing development. "They dont want to force us to do something thats wrong. They weigh in because they think things can be better. Its our job to take and balance all that out and remove the agenda part of that a team may or may not have. Right now, its working pretty good." For the first session, Logano and Keselowski were at the front of the pack along pit road -- by random drawing -- and raced to get out in front on the track so theyd have a clear path. Logano put up the fastest time early and Keselowski was right behind him in second. Despite teams coming in for adjustments -- one crewmember was allowed to come over the wall to make minor changes -- those two stayed out front for the entire first session. For the final session, Keselowski put up his fast time relatively early in the 10-minute window and swapped places with Logano for the pole. "Unfortunately, we won the wrong one," Logano said. "We won the first one and our teammate got the second one, but either way we both had a chance to win something. He just got the trophy to take the pictures with." Wholesale Adidas Shoes For Sale . -- Downcast before the final game of what had been a difficult road trip, the Ottawa Senators found a way to dig out a little momentum in the desert before heading home. Wholesale Adidas Shoes . Vonn had another scary moment at Saturdays World Cup downhill in Val dIsere, ending up clutching her knee in pain after losing her balance and missing a gate. But she gave a reassuring answer shortly afterward, saying no new damage had been done to the surgically repaired knee, and that her plans for the Sochi Olympics were still intact. http://www.wholesaleadidasshoes.com/ .J. -- While Martin Brodeur wasnt willing to say he stole one for the New Jersey Devils against the Columbus Blue Jackets, almost everyone else was.CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Panthers offensive tackle Jordan Gross is saying goodbye to the NFL after 11 seasons. The Panthers confirmed the three-time Pro Bowl left tackle will announce his retirement at a news conference on Wednesday at the stadium. "Jordan has been a great Panther and he will be missed," Panthers general manager Dave Gettleman said Tuesday in a text message. Cam Newton agreed. The Pro Bowl quarterback said in a text message, "It was truly a pleasure to play with Jordan. He always had my back. He will be missed." Just wholl replace Gross at left tackle is uncertain. Gross, 33, was a first-round pick by Carolina in 2003 and started a franchise-record 167 games. He went to his third Pro Bowl this past season as an alternate. Gross contract had expired with the Panthers earlier this month, but there was still some question as to whether he might agree to return for one more season. He went on vacation with his family last week to Idaho to contemplate whether or not to retire. Gross told the teams website, Panthers.com, that it was the right time to step away. "Ive played a lot of football here, and Ive seen a lot of guys come and a lot of guys go," Gross told the website. "Sometimes it ends well for guys, and sometimes it is not the ending they were looking for." Gross said he didnt want to leave until the team was in good position for sustained success. He believes the team is there now. "There is good, young leadership, there are talented players, and there are guys that really want to work hard and want to win," Gross said. Former quarterback Jake Delhomme, who played with Gross from 2003-2009, called him the "ultimate professional." "He was a hell of a player, and a great gentleman," Delhomme said. "The thing is I dont believe he got the respect he deserved around the league." Delhomme said the 6-foot-4, 305-pound Gross was extremely athletic, humble and driven. "We he was a rookie in 2003, his initial thoughts heading into minicamp were Oh gosh, please dont (stink)," Delhomme said with a laugh. "That was the mentality he always took. It wasnt a fear, but it was a mentality of, hey, Ive got to be good every day. Thats how Jordan preparedd every day. Cheap Adidas Shoes. " Panthers tight end Greg Olsen said he spoke to Gross recently and half-jokingly tried to convince him to return. But he said Gross already had his mind made up. "Hes such a great player and Im really happy for him," Olsen said. "When I talked to him, I know he feels good not only about his body of work and his career, but also the impact he had on this organization. He was always a stand-up guy. He has the respect of all of his teammates. Hes the type of guy you want if youre an NFL franchise." Gross joined the Panthers in 2003 and stepped right in as a starter, helping Carolina reach the Super Bowl as a rookie. However, Gross spent the next 10 years trying to get back, but the Panthers could never make it past the NFC championship game. Gross decision creates a void for the Panthers at left tackle. Bruce Campbell, Garry Williams and starting right tackle Byron Bell are potential replacements, but the team could look for help in free agency or the draft. The Panthers have the 28th pick in the draft. Olsen said it will be difficult to replace Gross after the Panthers went 12-4 this past season, but said young players will have to step up. "Jordan has been top notch for his whole career," Olsen said. "Hes tough to lose. But every year it happens around the league -- you lose players to retirement or injury. You have to move on and fill that role." Wide receiver Steve Smith is the only remaining player from Carolinas Super Bowl team in 2003 that lost 32-29 to the New England Patriots on a last-second field goal by Adam Vinatieri. Gross current and former teammates immediately took to Twitter to comment on the news. Said Smith: "Since 1999 until 2day (at)J2theGross and I have been in same huddle. Today its has stopped I salute JG, great player better man!!! Love ya." Said Panthers defensive end Charles Johnson: "One of the best to ever play in a panther jersey. I wish he would stay but you gotta do what u gotta." Offensive lineman Geoff Schwartz, a former teammate of Gross with the Panthers, wrote that Gross "was an outstanding mentor and Im so thankful he decided to help me when I was a young naive rookie." 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