CONCORD, N.C. -- Of the 12 drivers remaining in NASCARs playoffs, the odds makers have ranked Austin Dillon last in the championship race.Very few expected him to make it out of the first round. Only he did make the cut, and now Dillon intends to creep even further into the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship.I like this role, Dillon said of being a longshot, `because it puts the pressure on the guys that I guess are projected to make it to the next round -- whatever projections mean.This is Dillons debut in the Chase and he went into last weekends elimination race at Dover in danger of being bounced from the field. But he stepped up with a strong eighth-place finish -- his first top-10 in six weeks -- and advanced into the round of 12.Hell start 19th on Saturday night at Charlotte Motor Speedway, the opening race of the second round of the Chase. Rain from Hurricane Matthew washed out all track activity on Friday, but Dillon, like most teams, used Thursday to prepare for the race.We had a good car in practice. We just missed our balance a little bit in qualifying, Dillon said. Well be fine. Im really happy with our Chevrolet.Although his results have been mediocre -- Dillon was 14th at Chicago in the Chase opener, then 16th at New Hampshire -- he did what he had to do at Dover while the drivers ahead of him in the standings struggled.Jamie McMurray and Kyle Larson didnt make the round of 12, and Dillon capitalized with his Richard Childress Racing team. He has no doubt it can happen again in the second round, which includes Charlotte, Kansas and Talladega Superspeedway.You just never know what can happen in a race and you never know what the outcome will be, he said. There is so much that goes into every little piece and part of these cars. Im confident in the company I drive for with RCR and the people around me, myself also, that we can make strong finishes and that is what Im confident about. I love the underdog role because that means when we do knock people out, its going to be fulfilling.Dillon could surprise some at Charlotte, where he finished seventh in this race a year ago. The RCR organization is also accustomed to working the system of the Chase to its benefit.Ryan Newman two years ago advanced into the championship race through points racing instead of chasing wins. Dillon understands theres a strategy that can be followed for success in the Chase. Everyone wants to get through Charlotte and Kansas next week in solid shape to not have their fate decided at Talladega.As the only RCR driver in the Chase, hes got the organization behind him.I had multiple guys come up to me in the shop this week telling me how proud they were and proud to be a part of RCR, Dillon said. You saw what Ryan Newman was able to do a couple of years ago and go to Homestead. (Newman crew chief) Luke Lambert came up to me and said, `Man, you guys are built for this just like we made our run. I hope we can back it up and keep ourselves relevant. Hakeem Olajuwon Jersey . "It doesnt get any better than that," Giambi said. "Im speechless." The Indians are roaring toward October. Giambi belted a two-run, pinch-hit homer with two outs in the ninth inning to give Cleveland a shocking 5-4 win over the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday night, keeping the Indians up with the lead pack in the AL wild-card race. Kyle Lowry Jersey .Y. -- Buffalo Bills coach Doug Marrone has drawn on his Syracuse connections once again by hiring Rob Moore to take over as receivers coach. https://www.cheapraptors.com/ . Now, correct me if Im wrong but I saw one official distinctly pointing at the net indicating a good goal but after an inconclusive review they overturned the goal. Shouldnt the ruling on the ice (good goal) stand after an inconclusive review? Why was this overturned? James Veaudry Pembroke, ON -- Hey Kerry, Youll get a lot of these, but why was the Montreal goal against Nashville Saturday night overturned? Eller puts the puck on net and the on ice ruling from the ref behind the net is a Montreal goal. Kawhi Leonard Jersey . Supported by three-run homers from Jayson Werth and Wilson Ramos, the young right-hander went seven strong innings in the Washington Nationals 8-4 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday night. Fred VanVleet Jersey . And follow TSN.ca right through Deadline Day for all the updates. From Pierre LeBrun While Anaheim GM Bob Murray said earlier this season he was not going to trade Jonas Hiller despite the fact hes an unrestricted free agent on July 1, some sources have told TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun that Murray might be willing to move another goalie. SUZUKA, Japan -- Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg capitalized on a slow start by teammate Lewis Hamilton to win the Japanese Grand Prix on Sunday and widen his lead in the Formula One drivers championship.Rosberg, who started from pole position, controlled the race throughout and finished 4.9 seconds ahead of Red Bull driver Max Verstappen, who held off Hamilton in close racing over the final few laps.The start went really well, Rosberg said. Everything went well, and then it was just controlling the pits and the gaps to Max in the race. It was a perfect weekend to win on this legendary track.With four races remaining Rosberg holds a 33-point lead over Hamilton.Its better that way than the other way round but its still Lewis thats my teammate, so I always need to reckon with him, Rosberg said.Hes going to be going for it in the last four races. Theres still a long way to go.The result clinched the constructors championship for Mercedes for the third year running.Hamilton, who started second, made another of the poor starts which has been among Mercedes few weak points this season, and dropped back to eighth on the opening lap.The defending world champion worked his way through the field well. Desperately needing as many points as possible in the championship race, Hamilton attempted a bold passing move on Verstappen on the penultimate lap.Exiting the Spoon curve just 0.5 seconds back, the Briton tried a move into the chicane but Verstappen blocked his path, and Hamilton was forced up an escape road. Hamilton complained over hhis team radio that the 19-year-old Dutchman had made his move too late under braking.ddddddddddddLewis was pushing really hard, Verstappen said. He is fighting for the world championship so you are not going to do anything crazy things of course.Hamilton said his poor start was down to wheel spin, rather than any preoccupation with the damp patch in front of his grid slot due to overnight rain.I was just working my way up from there -- it was tricky but I did the best I could, Hamilton said. Im happy with clawing it back and getting some points, its good.It was Rosbergs ninth victory of the season and 23rd in F1, moving the German driver into a tie for 12th place on the all-time list with Nelson Piquet. Rosberg started the previous two races at Suzuka from pole position only to be overtaken by Hamilton.Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel had an opportunity to pass Hamilton immediately after the second round of pitstops but couldnt do it and finished fourth ahead of teammate Kimi Raikkonen. Daniel Ricciardo of Red Bull, who won the previous race in Malaysia, was sixth.The Force India pair Sergio Perez and Nico Hulkenberg finished seventh and eighth, with the team eking out a 10-point gap over Williams whose drivers Felipe Massa and Valtteri Bottas finished ninth and 10th on a one-stop strategy.Every driver finished the race, only the seventh time in 952 world championship races that has happened. ' ' '