ost in the nation during that span.I do believe our (playoff) experi

SPARTA, Ky. -- Kentucky Speedway President Mark Simendinger hopes the tracks new pavement smooths the transition to another race with a new NASCAR downforce package.Resurfacing the 1.5 mile tri-oval was nearly done when the sanctioning body announced new rules in May to reduce downforce and side force and create more side-by-side racing. It follows last years changes here that helped produce one of the seasons most competitive races, won by Kyle Busch on his way to his first Sprint Cup championship.That was pretty impressive considering drivers had to sort things out during the race after rain washed out practice. The weather for last months two-day test was more cooperative, and the challenge in Saturday nights 400-mile headliner is finding the right formula on a reconfigured track with fewer bumps in the road.You wont leave with a headache, and thats the best part about it, points leader and 2014 Cup champion Kevin Harvick quipped during last months test.Banking in turns 1 and 2 was increased from 14 degrees to 17 degrees with track width on that end reduced by 18 feet. Turns 3 and 4 remain at 14 degrees, which Simendinger hopes will create a unique look during the tripleheader weekend that includes a 225-mile Camping World Truck Series race and Friday nights Xfinity Series 300-miler.Simendinger also notes that Kentuckys famous bumps arent totally gone, just smoother with new asphalt and drainage improvements. Figure in NASCAR rule changes to the rear spoiler, rear deck fin and front splitter, and the track president wouldnt be shocked by anything on Saturday night.Its going to be interesting, Simendinger said. Weve really been on this track, putting rubber down as much as we can to widen out the race groove. If we dont do that, theyre going to be more inclined just to follow a single groove until they can get it widened out. If were able to get it to where theyll be racing side by side, then we go to the Xfinity race and all those laps will be very, very helpful so that by the time we get to the Sprint Cup race, (drivers) should have a high degree of confidence.Few drivers enter more confident than Busch and Brad Keselowski. Each has won twice in five starts here and combined to lead 362 laps while winning the past two races.Keselowski is buoyed by last weekends victory at Daytona that has him 14 points behind Harvick in second place. Busch is 73 points back in sixth after running second at Daytona and is tied with Keselowski with a series-best three wins.Keselowski lamented Kentuckys reduction of the teeth-rattling bumps in the frontstretch but welcomed the differences between ends. The start of Thursdays first Cup practice suggested there will be growing pains, as the right rear of his No. 2 Ford got sideways and kissed the outside wall entering Turn 3 but escaped major damage.Whenever there are those discrepancies, I think thats when you see mistakes and when you see strengths and weaknesses that vary from car to car and driver to driver, the 2012 champion said before practice. I think thats a really good thing for our sport, so Im interested to see how thats going to play out this weekend.Busch was planning another three-race weekend at Kentucky that figures to provide plenty of time to get used to the changes. The tracks most successful driver speaks volumes about his adaptability on the old surface, and hes eager to see if he can be as good with the improvements.Hopefully I hope I can figure it out again and be a little bit better than some of these other guys, Busch said last month. Overall, it still has some character to it with some bumps down the front straightway. ... They did a decent job. Fake Nike Air Max 90 . Barcelona also left injured defenders Carles Puyol, Javier Mascherano and Jordi Alba out of its squad for the trip to Glasgow. That means that Marc Bartra will probably start again in the centre of the defence alongside Gerard Pique. Wholesale Nike Air Max 90 . 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(STATS) -- If North Dakota has any jitters about playing in its first-ever FCS playoff game, the comfortable surroundings of the Alerus Center should help alleviate that.Richmond, meanwhile, has nothing but terrible memories of the Peace Garden State.Saturday night will mark the FCS playoff debut for North Dakota, which hopes to stretch its winning streak to 10 when the Spiders visit for a second-round matchup.While No. 8 North Dakota has experienced plenty of postseason success, all of it came during the schools Division II era before making the jump to the FCS level prior to the 2008 season. The Fighting Hawks went 20-12 in the Division II playoffs, winning the national championship in 2001 with another championship game appearance in 2003.It means a lot for us to play in the tournament, coach Bubba Schweigert said. It will mean much more if we get a positive result, we know that. We think it will help us in terms of exposure and recruiting. Our fan base will also be really excited to be part of that atmosphere.North Dakota (9-2) has been idle since completing its most successful FCS regular season with a 38-31 victory over Northern Arizona on Nov. 12. It was the ninth straight win for the Fighting Hawks, who finished unbeaten in the Big Sky Conference and went 5-0 at home to continue a longtime trend of success in Grand Forks.North Dakota is 81-22 overall at the Alerus Center, including a 10-0 mark in playoff games there, and 13-3 at the indoor facility in Schweigerts two-plus seasons.Were excited to be home. Its an advantage if you play well, Schweigert said. If your crowd gets in the game, it can help you if you approach it the right way and come out with a lot of energy and youre focused.Richmond (9-3) knows all too well how difficult it can be to play in a loud and raucous atmosphere after it was routed 33-7 at North Dakota State in last seasons national semifinals.The 12th-ranked Spiders earned another trip to the state of North Dakota with a 39-10 victory over visiting North Carolina A&T in the first round Saturday. After two-year starting quarterback Kyle Lauletta suffered an ACL tear in the regular-season finale, Richmond removed the redshirt from Kevin Johnson and he passed for 315 yards and a touchdown to back a stout defensive effort.We were highly motivated Saturday at home, motivated to win. We were really highly motivated to extend our season, Richmond coach Danny Rocco said. These guys had a taste the last coupple of years of the postseason, winning in the postseason, and theres something about going to North Dakota that I thought is really meaningful.dddddddddddd Were working hard to find a way to beat a really good football team.While Johnson played well and redshirt freshman Deontez Thompson carried 24 times for 98 yards, the Spiders won with defense and special teams. They forced four turnovers, got a 92-yard punt return from Dejon Brissett and four field goals from Griffin Trau.Overcoming adversity has become a theme for Richmond, which has lost a whopping 18 players to season-ending injuries.Weve got a great group of guys who fight for each other every day and thats exactly what this is, Johnson said. Were excited for the opportunities in front of us.The Spiders are no strangers to success, having won the national championship in 2008 and standing as one of only five schools in the country with a playoff win each of the past three seasons. Last weeks victory was Richmonds 42nd in the last five years, the eighth most in the nation during that span.I do believe our (playoff) experiences have helped us and were a better program and a better football team for having been through the experiences weve had the last couple years, including this past Saturday, Rocco said.Johnson will find the going much tougher against a North Dakota defense that led the Big Sky and ranked seventh in the FCS, allowing 91.5 yards per game. That unit is anchored by safety Cole Reyes, the Big Sky Defensive Player of the Year. Reyes finished the regular season with 58 tackles, a sack, three interceptions, eight pass break-ups, two fumble recoveries and two forced fumbles.A Richmond loss would mark the end of a brilliant career for receiver Brian Brown, just the second player in CAA history to have three consecutive seasons of 1,000-plus receiving yards. Hes the top target for an attack that led the conference with 279.6 passing yards per game.The schools share one common opponent in Stony Brook, which defeated North Dakota 13-9 in the Sept. 1 season opener and rolled to a 42-14 rout of Richmond two weeks later.This will be the first meeting between these programs, and the winner advances to the quarterfinals to face either 14th-ranked Central Arkansas or No. 3 Eastern Washington, which shared the Big Sky title with North Dakota. ' ' '