RICHMOND, Va. Cheap Jerseys For Sale . -- Jeff Gordon will try to race his way into NASCARs playoffs from the pole position. The four-time series champion turned a track-record qualifying lap of 130.599 mph at Richmond International Raceway on Friday night to win his 73rd career pole position, and his first this season. "I can breathe now," Gordon joked after seeing the time hold up. His lap pushed Kurt Busch to the outside of the front row, meaning the tension win be palpable once the green flag drops Saturday night for the 400-lap race around the 0.75-mile, D-shaped oval. Busch is 10th in points, and the top 10 after Saturday nights race earn automatic berths in the 10-race playoffs to finish the season. Gordon is 11th, six points behind, and needs to pass Busch or one of the other drivers now in the top 10 to assure himself a berth in the Chase for the championship. In all, 10 drivers are fighting for the last five spots. "Theres no doubt we all recognize whats on the line here," Gordon said. The pole extended to 21 Gordons NASCAR-record string of consecutive seasons with a pole position, breaking a tie with David Pearson, and gave him the No. 1 pit stall on the front stretch at RIR. "I didnt think it was going to come this year. Ill be honest," Gordon said of the top starting spot. "Qualifying has not been very good for me and for our team this year. Very proud of this one. Boy, it comes at a great time. ... We know how important that number one pit stall is and starting up front." Busch, the 2004 series champion, rallied after being 19th-fastest in practice, possible with the help of cloud cover that moved in front of the sun just as he was wheeling onto the track for his run. "We will take the cloud cover and we will take those adjustments we made," Busch said, adding that "we just threw a couple of things at it, and it stuck. ... That lap came out of nowhere. Awesome lap." Defending series champion Brad Keselowski, who is 15th in points and still has a remote chance of racing his way into the Chase, will start third, followed by Clint Bowyer and Matt Kenseth. Bowyer and Kenseth are among the drivers already locked into the Chase, meaning all eyes will be on the front once the race starts, with Gordon and Busch no doubt battling to lead the first lap, or any lap, top gain a bonus point that could prove critical as the race winds down under the lights. "It depends on what everybodys attitude and goals are," Gordon said of the tone that could be set right away. "This is a long race. Youve got to be smart. We found that out last year." Gordon arrived at RIR last year still needing to lock up a spot in the playoffs, went a lap down early on and kept battling. He eventually rallied to finish second and made it into the Chase field. Busch, too, said getting to the finish in good shape is what will matter most. "We want to make sure we pace ourselves, do the right thing," he said. "We are feeling good about this. I love these challenges and right now, Gordon and I are one-two." Stitched Jerseys For Sale . This week they discuss Russias mens hockey team, the ineptitude of the IOC handling the Nicklas Backstrom situation, John Tortorellas many apologies, and Canadas strong showing in curling. Jerseys For Sale Outlet . After making his All-Star debut in Fridays Rising Stars Challenge, the Raptors sophomore centre wont be sticking around for the duration of the weekends festivities, thinking about the big picture instead. https://www.jerseysforsalechina.com/ . Especially after he got ejected. "How many innings was that?" he wondered.Kendrys Morales missed out on a post-season appearance last season when his Seattle Mariners fell just short of a wild card.Now hes joining one of the teams that went to the playoffs at Seattles expense.The Kansas City Royals finalized a $17 million, two-year deal with the veteran slugger Tuesday. Kansas City made the post-season as a wild card this year and went all the way to the World Series before losing to San Francisco in Game 7.At first I didnt think maybe they would make the playoffs, but they caught fire at the end and were playing really well, Morales said through a translator. I think they started playing well, they kind of gained some confidence. They were playing well going into the playoffs and that was the most important part for them.Morales gives the Royals a new designated hitter after Billy Butler agreed to a free agent deal with Oakland. Kansas City will hope last season was an aberration for Morales, who hit .218 with eight homers and 42 RBIs in 98 games with the Minnesota Twins and Seattle. He didnt play last season until June after waiting for the right offer.Two years ago, Morales hit .277 with 23 homers for Seattle.The Royals finished last in the major leagues in home runs but won the pennant with a distinctive style built on speed, defence and a sensational bullpen. It was a thrilling run for a team that hadnt been to the playoffs since 1985, but it remains to be seen if Kansas Citys success is sustainable. This is, after all, a team that won only 89 games during the regular season, finishing a game behind AL Central champion Detroit.We have to be able to drive the ball better — a lot of times wed come up with bases loaded or firsst and second, wed hit a single or what have you, general manager Dayton Moore said. Fake Jerseys For Sale. Kendrys we think is a necessary part of that, to produce more runs, as our lineup continues to gain more experience.Butler struggled through one of the worst seasons of his career, hitting .271 with only nine homers. His $12.5 million option was declined.The 31-year-old Morales will get $6.5 million next year and $9 million in 2016. The deal includes an $11 million mutual option for 2017 with a $1.5 million buyout.Morales can make an additional $750,000 in performance bonuses in each of the first two seasons based on plate appearances: $50,000 for 375 and $100,000 apiece for 400 and each additional 25 until 550.The Royals have also agreed with outfielder Alex Rios on an $11 million, one-year contract, a person with knowledge of the negotiations said Monday. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal was subject to Rios passing a physical.Like Morales, Rios is someone the Royals hope can recapture his previous power stroke. He hit .280 this year with four homers and 54 RBIs for the Texas Rangers. Rios set career highs with the Chicago White Sox in 2012 with 25 homers and 91 RBIs.The Royals have not officially announced the deal with Rios.Kansas City may also add a starting pitcher now that James Shields has become a free agent.Were obviously in the starting pitching market, were still looking at trades and evaluating those opportunities as well, Moore said. Theres been some discussion and reports about future signings and well see how that plays out in the next few days.___AP Sports Writer Ronald Blum contributed to this report. ' ' '